It has very gentle roots, for a maple, so I wouldn't worry too much

Agree. JM roots are of no concern with regards to close planting to structures. Japanese maples are frequently planted close to houses simply because they tend to be quite compact and relatively slow growing trees.

I also agree...a shallow and less invasive root system. We're in Southern CA and have 7 different varieties of JM's, including a Bloodgood. Some of the oldest and largest JM's I've seen (all in Seattle) were planted very close to homes. That being said, for placing closer to the house, it's probably a good idea to figure no more than half the width of the Bloodgood's mature canopy.

Enjoy your pretty Bloodgood! Our newest JM is a Fireglow...another nice red-leaf variety.

But dont swallow roots do the most damage?

are the roots of the jm soft lile ropes or woody

It grows relatively large for a JM, so it doesn't need to be closer to the house than about 15', or it will swallow the house. It also needs partial to almost full shade, or the leaves will burn to a crisp in a warm climate. The roots will be fine at that distance.

I'm not sure what sort of damage you are referring to :-) The root system is not aggressive and does not extend large distances. They don't seek out underground plumbing and there is no chance they will damage a foundation unless the foundation already has structural issues.......then, even a shrub can cause problems. The roots are shallow - just under the soil surface - but the vast majority are very fine feeder roots, more like hairs than ropes or thick, woody material. And JM's seldom have roots that emerge above the soil surface, like so many other larger, native maples do.

To put it simply, they are a non-issue :-))

hmmm 15'? the spot Im looking at is about 5-7'.

Actually, Bloodgood is a very sun tolerant variety and often recommended for hot summer climates. Full shade is not a requirement at all but some shade from hot afternoon sun would be appreciated. Not required, but appreciated :-)

Where are you located? JM's tend to achieve their maximum potential size in very mild climates - neither too hot nor too cold and with adequate moisture. As mentioned previously, here in the PNW is prime growing territory and very large specimens are common. In less suitable climates, they may never reach a maximum size. I would expect a mature size (at 20+ years) to be 15-20' tall and 15-20' wide in most areas, somewhat smaller in colder or very dry climates.

Mine is 20' at 15 years, and has almost full shade from about 1:00 on. It stays fairly red, to a bronze red green the whole year. One down the street, planted as a standalone lawn specimen in full sun, is a bit less tall. But, it is 30 years old, and has burned brown leaves from July on. It doesn't get enough energy from those damaged leaves to reach it's full potential. One method of height control without pruning, I suppose. But it sure is ugly for about half of it's growing season because of the crispy leaves.

if you have an intact modern foundation ... then NO TREE is going to ruin the foundation ... period ...

if your foundation is already problematic ... or dry stack stone.. or whatever ... then no matter what tree you plant.. MIGHT BE a problem in the future ...

clear??

this plant is straight from the growers and pruned for shipping ...it will be much wider than it appears now... ergo ... if you want natural form.. then you plant it far enough away from anything that might interfere with its spread ...

if you go closer.. then you will become an expert pruner ... and shape the tree any way you want.. though i hope you dont go for the haircut method ...

one way i try to gauge potential.. is at the link ..

in my MI ... i would never plant a leafed out tree in july/august .. and i would have the nursery hold it until the next proper planting time .. unless it is being professionally installed and warrantied for 2 years ... maybe your location is much more forgiving ....

succulents and JMs.. at the same nursery .... go figure.. lol ...

ken

and do the note the many that are planted too close to the house .. lol ... you wont be the first ...

https://www.google.com/search?q=japanese+maple+bloodgood&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjwoIeE8IvVAhUm2IMKHR23DCsQ_AUIBygC&biw=988&bih=746

I'm located in Southen California.

I will probably leave the tree in the planter box and plant the entire thing in the hole.

or create some type of root barrier.

or find another location.

Maybe plant it where the date palms are ( middle of lawn) and plant the date palms near the house.

but the original purpose was for the maple to shade the side of the house where the sun rises.

I hope we made it clear that a root barrier is not a requirement. And not something I'd probably recommend with a JM. And you definitely do not want to plant it in the box. The only concern with a close planting is that the canopy may at some point down the road interfere with the side of the house. But that is relatively easily addressed with some judicious pruning.

the fireglow variety seems to fit the space better.

i should have done more research.

James, where are you in SoCal? I'm asking because there's something familiar with the photo you posted with the trees lined up in those containers. The Fireglow we got is really nice. Another favorite of mine is a Coral Bark...bright green leaves with coral bark and red margins in the leaves...gorgeous. All of our JM's are in filtered light under large oak trees. Some varieties do better in sun, but our summers with full sun can be pretty brutal. For JM's doing best in full sun, I would want a cooler climate than we have, or at least closer to the coast. Our Bloodgood gets a little more sun than the others.

Jeepers crow, if you're dead set on planting it in the container, save the time spent digging and just light your money on fire and leave the tree at the nursery. Do not leave it in the box and plant it!

As for spacing, it depends on your level of comfort with a maintenance program. We did a project in 2009 where we planted a bloodgood ~6ft off the house. Every year we've pruned it to train it away from the house, and it's worked really well (and looks amazing). It helps that we want it to grow towards the main sun exposure, so phototropism is working in our favor.

If you're not going to jump on it every year, or you don't feel comfortable doing a lot of pruning, get something that grows more slowly and needs less pruning.

in orange county. i bought the tree from Martinez Nursury.

Got it...thanks. Not the nursery I was thinking of but sure looked familiar. Also something about the structure in the background on the right.

By any chance did you check Lowe's or Home Depot for JM's? Sometimes their prices can be good...IF they have the size and variety you want. We found our Fireglow at HD.

wow hd? my local hd has nothing interesting

Step back and imagine the tree ten years feom now. If the shape you want works near your home, go for it. Heat from your home damaging the tree is more likely a problem than the tree damaging your foundation.

let me snap a photo of the location in mind

James, both HD and Lowe's can be hit-or-miss with JM's. I do see Bloodgoods there frequently but they can be small. We got the Fireglow when HD was having one of their parking lot plant sales. We'd just bought another Bloodgood at Armstrong nursery when we spotted the Fireglow...and for $40 less. The BG went back to Armstrong.

Most box store JM's have poor quality and compromised grafts. There are basically ''seconds''. Some can grow out of that. But many eventually develop canker at the graft and die young.

Then 3 of our 7 are "seconds" and doing fine after many years. Oops...forgot the Fireglow...make that 4.

Not gonna work here I'm guessing. So pygmy palm here instead? Would a fireglow variety work?

That does look close. What about moving it to the left so it's centered in front of that wall (and equal distance from the house and wall)? Obviously that hedge would have to come out, but it looks a little out of place there anyway.

What exposure is that area...mostly sun?

lol. i can't touch that hedge. its the neighbor's

Oh geez...a definite no! Where's the property line?

Something like Trompenburg or another more upright vase shape would be a better choice for this location.

property line is in the middle of the wall

I don't think that it handles full sun nearly as well but 'Twombly's Red Sentinel' is also narrower in form.

Fireglow or Jordan would fit there better than the Bloodgood (in addition to some of the other alternates mentioned). Both are OK to be planted 6' from the house or so.

I would keep it about 8ft away, just because of its size. Roots should do no damage.

I assume the wall belongs to both you and your neighbors, and your property line is in the middle. I assume that hedge is your neighbors? I think a 'fireglow' although still tight, will work better there. Can you plant it about 10 feet closer to the street, but keep it the same left/right?

James, it should be okay at 7-8 feet from the house, but it looks closer than that...? Also, I would want it protected from afternoon sun. Some varieties of JM's can acclimate to more sun, but, as I mentioned before, our sun here in SoCal gets so HOT.

purpose was to provide shade to that side of the house.

I guess i can move it to the left a little and prune the tree when the time comes.

You've most likely got lots of info on the tree but wanted to pass this along...

https://www.thetreecenter.com/bloodgood-japanese-maple/ 

Assuming it can grow well under your site conditions* the maple will be fine there as long as you are not bothered psychologically by its proximity to the house, or having it drop leaves in the gutters each fall and so on. Or it doesn't become a highway for roof rats (any tree that branches near a roof can provide easy access for these common pests of areas near salt water).

'Bloodgood' is a tall variety growing over 30 ft. high.

*You might want to read the discussion under Acer palmatum in the plant encyclopedia section of the Sunset Western Garden Book of growing Japanese maples in arid areas like Southern California