Hmmm...where to start. First of all, there are nearly a thousand different cultivars of Japanese maples. About a third (or maybe more) of them have red leaves at least a portion of the year. Secondly, japanese red maple would be a misleading name since a red maple is a native maple to the US that has green leaves and red flowers. Red japanese maple would make more sense. So, "Japanese red maple" could refer to one of hundreds of cultivars that have been reproduced by grafting, or it could be a red seedling that shows good red characteristics. This would mean that 'red select' is a specific cultivar of a red japanese maple. You must also consider whether or not it is a weeping red dissectum (fine lacy leaves) or an upright palmatum (star shaped leaves). 'Red select' is one of many red dissectum cultivars (lacy and weeping). I think 'red select' is a seedling from 'inaba shidare' (guys I know Vertrees claims that they are one in the same, but I have convincing information that says otherwise). They are similar, but some claim there are distinct differences (and by distinct I mean practically with a magnifying glass). Other similar common cultivars include 'crimson queen', 'tamukeyama', 'garnet', and the newer 'red dragon'. A couple of good red upright cultivars include 'bloodgood' and 'fireglow'. Search these names and this should shed some light on what the differences are.

Thanks all. I actually ended up buying a few more. I am going to try the Bihou in a spot near our kitchen window. Hoping for the best. It's only a 3 year tree so will see what happens. The cost was not great, so if I lose it won't be a big monetary loss. I also bought a few more to add some color. Orangelo, Aureum, and Twombleys Red. The Aureum is in a great spot and I am really looking forward to seeing what this tree does. My only concern is that the Aureum will get a pretty significant amount of sun. So...I am going to monitor it and might eventually move it if the sun is to much. Will see...

I use both methods. I built the cloning machine for softwood cuttings and herbaceous perennials. I get better success using the cloner only on those kinds. For hardwood and semi-hardwood cuttings, I use Janie's chamber. I have one sitting in the edge of the woods now with rooting fig cuttings. I tried indoors, but they all died save two. Outside, 7 of the 10 cuttings are putting out new growth and no doubt, roots. I stuck them in February and walked away. The cloner needs lots of attention. One bad case of fungus and all the plants get ruined. That's the problem I have thanks to the size of the one I built. Now I understand why some people use smaller ones. I have not had success rooting my dogwood or japanese maples. I prefer to grow them from seed which I am doing this year. But in the outdoor chamber, I use sand. I use plain builder's sand from Lowe's. Granted, what you get in your area might be different, but this has several sizes of particles mixed in. It holds plenty of water, but also allows air to move through the mixture. The various particles help with that. I have tried potting soil, soiless mixes, peat and sand, and still have the best success using just sand. It's also much easier to remove rooted cuttings.

Great. I didn't know there was a generic Japanese Maple species. I'm in the process of acquiring a couple of more JM's. Is $400 a reasonable price for an about 12 foot tall bloodgood JM in a 32-gallon wood container? That's the biggest Bloodgood at my local nursery. It looks really nice. I wonder why it hasn't been sold as it's been there for a while. The person there told me that I could plant it right away as it's been under full sun for a while. They have unlimited warranty, which would really help in my case as I'm new to this. I also really want a Coral Bark, but the only shady area around my house is along the garage where there is a very big palm tree with a very long root system. So I don't think the soil there would be good enough for a Coral Bark? My only option would be to plan it in full sun. However, I don't think Coral Bark like full sun. Could someone confirm that a Coral Bark would be out of question in my situation?