Jap. Maples don't have any more of a vulnerability to pest than any other tree. If you will be planting it in a full sun location that defiantly needs to be kept in mind as most japanese maples do not fare well in full sun exposure. That being said Fire glow and blood good are great candidates for full sun, Fire Glow is more showy than Bloodgood and better in my opinion. Emperor again needs partial shade during the hottest period of the day and will not be suitable for full sun. As for how large they will get, that will be the least troublesome issue as you can keep them to just about any size and height that you desire through yearly pruning. That being said I would still give them adequate space from a wall to give them good light and air circulation as well as keeping in mid the aspect of aesthetical appeal. Since I don't know your exact predicament of the planting location in question I cant say exactly how far it should be placed from the house wall. If you would like I can send you a few online Japanese Maple nursery sites where you can browse through there inventory and look for some Full sun tolerant verities that you might like. Just send me a personal message so i will be notified through my email since I don't frequent this site too much as of lately. Hope this helps. -Mike

I just bought a Seiryu, Butterfly, and Shindeshojo the other day. They're all in morning sun with a bit of afternoon...I would say from 7a-130pm. Is this too much sun??? I've done some research and all say different things. What does sun/partial sun mean when it comes to Japanese Maples? I didn't know if it was number of hours or the intensity? Please help! I'm a newbie! Also, I noticed some splitting in the bark. It doesn't look fresh and the nursery told me it could be from our Texas winters. One minute is freezing the next 70s. Anything to fix it? Thanks!

I examined the tree again last night. Those wilting leaves are definitely dead now, though those few healthy branches still seem to be hanging on OK. We haven't had any late frosts persay - nothing that has affected any other plants/trees in the yard. I don't think the leaves were sun-scorched, as the tree survived quite well in this location all throughout the hot/sunny summer and early fall last year. Overwatering could be a possibility; we have had a lot of rain lately. Would overwatering only kill off some of the leaves/stress out part of the tree though? Another possibility...? The maple didn't really lose its leaves last fall and in the winter we had an ice storm. Ice stuck to the dead leaves, weighing the tree down; for half a day it was literall bent in half with its top branch tips and leaves touching the ground. When it melted, the tree popped right back up again but most of the branches were left slightly curved in the direction the tree was bent. Looking at the branches last night, it seemed that all of those that still remained curved had the dead leaves. Those with straight stems/branches had healthy looking leaves. Is it possible that the tree is suffering from some sort of delayed stress reaction to the ice storm? As mentioned before, it looked great with all the new buds and fresh leaves in early spring...

Trees generally require a longer and slower, deeper soaking than does a newly planted lawn. If you are watering the lawn for a few minutes twice a day, you probably want to supplement the maple a couple times a week with a longer soaking. I typically suggest the hose at a low trickle placed at the root zone long enough for the water to soak down to the full depth of the rootball. But the frequency will depend on your soils and your weather. I would also avoid having the lawn grow up to the base of the tree. Lawns are greedy plants and can compete with the young maple for moisture and nutrients and delay or impede establishment. You can also easily damage the tree by mowing or weed whacking too close. Keep a wide mulch ring surrounding it...at least 3' diameter. ETA: tj, we were writing at the same time :-) Did not intend to over-write your comments with my own. We are at least thinking alike!!