I am not 100% sure, but I think that Japanese maples require acid soil and SA has predominantly alkaline soil. Even if you plant it in a pot, the water used will tend to increase the soil PH. How about “Forest Pansy” redbud?

Omar

Good luck with the Japanese maple, but there are other trees to try if that doesn't work out. Some can only survive in a container for a few years but if they are free or inexpensive it can be fun to experiment.

I kept my oldest loquat in a big container on a deck with part shade for about 5 years, then moved it to a patio for another year before planting it in the ground. I got it as a free seedling and it grew quickly with good drainage and regular watering. The loquat only made a few fruits while it was in the pot, but because it was evergreen with large leaves it did a good job blocking the view of my neighbor's never-finished back porch project.

Also had success growing pineapple guava in a big pot.

Interesting to hear all these comments. I plan to go a different route than Japanese Maple, and am looking in to all the recommendations you all made. Thanks for the help!

Pride of Houston yaupon holly, Texas mountain laurel and Texas redbud can succeed in large containers and are ideally suited for dappled shade. Any of the above would also be low maintenance compared to exotic species such as Japanese maple. Basic potting soil, mulch, low-power fertilizer and water during summer droughts should keep them healthy.

I've always assumed San Antonio was in zone 8b. Is SA actually in zone 9?

Something else to consider growing in a large pot is Curly willow. I don't have a photo of the whole tree, but it was gracefully gorgeous and grew well in dappled shade. I had it for years and then wanted to try something else.

Irving Ragweed, with our overall warmer weather they've changed the south side of San Antonio to zone 9. The city is split diagonally (scroll down a bit to see how) and my yard is still in zone 8b. I'm just a couple of miles from where the land turns from flat lands to rocky hill country.

Would Meyer Lemon bloom and thrive in dappled sun? I always loved the scent of those blooms!

Where you live something just a little more drought tolerant might work out better, like cork oak or pomegranate.

PK-

I've known a lot of people who grew Meyer Lemons in pots - many assume that's the only way they'll grow in San Antonio. Like most container plants they take a little more attention than if they're in the ground since you're supplying all the nutrients, water, etc. The people I know that have them will get ~50 lemons a year at most when the tree is mature. And yes, the blooms are heavenly.

The main reason I would hesitate to grow a big tree in a pot is that most of the time they need to be moved in the winter to someplace that they're more sheltered and even if they're on the smaller side they're heavy. But if you choose something that's cold tolerant in the container or can shelter it in place, that's not an issue.

Lisa

Edited: Just saw you're question about sun requirements. You'd probably get better blooming if there was more sun since it's citrus. But that's an assumption on my part- mine gets full southern sun all day.

Lisa