I don't think you have to move right to questioning his competence. I would check first what assumptions each of you is operating under. If you have given him instructions to produce a certain kind of environment in the yard, shade may be an essential part of that and perhaps he can't produce any other source of shade in the short term and is concerned you'll not be happy with the outcome if there isn't enough shade. Or something. He may also be making some assumptions about how much you want to water your plants. I de-shaded the north side of my house with the removal of a tree and it does get sunny as the sun veers around in the afternoon. New trees are just growing in enough to make an impact 4 years later. If there is a chance you will be removing the big tree at some point within 5 years, the pot is a very good idea for another reason - you'll have to get the little maple out of the way of falling tree parts. They do grow well in pots, especially if the pots are big enough. KarinL

Beautiful JM! You have the zone for it. The Sequoia looks beautiful too with the sun hitting it.

I am interested in your columbine seeds. If possible I would take some of each color. I can send you some other colors? I have purple and purple with white, I have two shades of pink. As for Japanese maples, it is easier to take cuttings than to start from seeds. More chance of getting same as parent tree. I have one here but am not sure if mature enough to produce seeds yet. will keep an eye on it though. Send me an email directly and we can exchange addresses. You can also see my seed list for something else you may want if you do not want more columbine colors.

I think you mean Bloodgood, and I'm a bit late to this conversation, but they will look like the picture I am sharing: Or this... Or this... These are all from Acer Palmatum 'Bloodgood' and germinate successfully from samaras (seeds) that get cold stratified naturally (or in a fridge for 90ish days) and then grow into seedlings (shown in all of my pics). You can graft other cultivars (scions) onto these, which would make these seedlings your eventual rootstock (after seedling grows for about 2 years or 1/8 in). Or these seedlings could be used for bonsai, or just planted as is and they would just be considered Acer Palmatum Red Japanese Maple, not a Bloodgood unless it's grafted. Hope this helps (8 years later)!