Bloodgood is an upright tree. It sounds as though what you want is a weeping one, of which there are many, with variations in leaf shape and degree of variegation and color. Height and width are also variable, from a maximum of no more than 4', to a mature height of over 15', and from 3-5' in width to 25'. As Shortleaf suggested, do look carefully at any tree offered to you. While seedlings can be very attractive trees, if it is a named form, it SHOULD be grafted. And if it is expensive, it should be both named and grafted, or very old/big and very attractive. Any of the bigger/better nurseries in your area should stock and carry various named forms of JM - big and little, upright and weeping varieties. I can think of 8-10 off hand in this area who have good selections or who specialize - "this area" includes 3 decent cities within an hour's drive, in 4-5 different directions. Prices range from just under $1,000, for a very large, very attractive weeping, red, cut-leaf one (at a high-dollar nursery), to $20 for a one gallon 18" red-green variegated, cut-leaf seedling (from a back-yard grower). Most are in the $75-300 range. Sources range from 3 people with "hobby" nurseries in their back yards, growing their own, to professional full-service nurseries, who buy from growers, and from very pricey to very reasonable. Look around, ask around, and you should find a good, reliable source. Wallie's World or the big box stores can give you a relatively inexpensive source for the common ones, but look at them carefully as the level of care may be pretty poor - try to get them fresh off the truck. One way to get a few names in your area may be to ask at your county extension agent's office. The local Master Gardeners are the ones who usually "man" the desk/phone, and they frequently have a list of local nurseries and sources. They may not rank them (opinions are verboten), but they can probably give a list - I know the ones here have one, at least.

I started out with a bulldozer and pushed all the low spots up to the higher areas, in effect reversing all the settling since the last glaciers melted here about 14,000 years ago. Here's an old picture of me having fun on one. Yes, it's my garden and I planted all the trees except the older native trees. All the maples, but four, were started from seed by me starting about 35 years ago. I'm 70 now, and so far, in good health. I can still run a chainsaw, swing a shovel, and climb stairs. ;-) The garden will be going through a major transition this Fall and Winter. It's about time. Things have grown larger and faster than I had originally figured on. So now it's time for some serious editing, pruning and relocation. Thanks for the compliment. Much appreciated. All pictures, unless otherwise, noted are of my garden. Mike....near Maple Valley, Wa. Here is a link that might be useful: Pictures of my garden...mostly.

The red growth is the named form and the green is the species understock. Which you decide to remove is up to you, depending on what the remainder may look like after removal. Most folks want to save the named form and remove the rootstock plant but ideally that happens as soon as the rootstock growth is noted. If it is left too long, it can get too large to remove easily or have aready affected the growth of the named tree, so then the opposite approach may be considered.

Not all varieties of JM will succeed in zone 5 - often you are better off selecting some of the more hardy species of Asian maples but these are seldom dwarf and most do not have red foliage. You can try a couple of the dissectums.....for whatever reason (maybe size), these tend to be more tolerant of colder zones than the full sized trees. 'Garnet', 'Crimson Queen' 'Red Dragon' and 'Inaba Shidare' are all weeping red leafed maples that are recommended for your climate. Ultimate mature height is dependent on graft location (lower grafts produce smaller trees) and how the tree is/was trained. IOW, remove any vertical staking as soon as possible. These should all hold their color pretty well in full sun but all would prefer to have some afternoon shade.