I think this sounds like a great idea. I notice that you are in ohio, so the full sun will not be as bad of a problem as it could be. Having said that, your trees still could get some leaf burn in late summer. Many cultivars of japanese maples do have a layering habit, but a little pruning enhances this quality. You are right about the 'bloodgood' being an upright large (for JM standards) tree. It would likely get 30 ft high and 20 or so wide in a reasonable time (and in like 50 years significantly larger). There are hundreds of cultivars, so recommending just a few would be difficult. However, we can give a few good common trees, and you can check around to see what's available. There are several semi-upright reds that are considered smaller than 'bloodgood'. Unfortunately, most growers do not shape their uprights to have a nice spreading shape. They pack them in tight and the trees grow straight up, but you might be able to find a few oddballs that have started getting some horizontal branching. 'Fireglow' is supposedly a smaller red with similar color to 'bloodgood' (there is conflicting information as to its size, it may get almost as large as 'bloodgood'). The habit will be similar, but you might find a tree with good horizontal structure. 'Moonfire' is another similar tree, probably with more purple than the above. There is also conflicting information about this tree, some say it is as large as 'bloodgood' and some say half the size. Judging from the trees I have seen, I would say it is on the smaller end of that range. It seems to have more horizontal growth and less long leggy limbs. 'Pixie' is a dwarf red similar to 'bloodgood' in color (perhaps not holding quite as long), but much smaller. Many of these trees I have seen had good layerered branch structure. However, it is difficult to tell whether this was natural or trained. There are several others and some other folks will probably reccomend a few more like 'shin deshojo', but I'll move on. There are many greens that could fit into this middle sized layered type. I don't know where to start here, but perhaps a weeping variety like 'waterfall' or 'viridis' would be good. They will usually spread wider than tall, but they are often staked and pruned to be more upright or mushroom shaped. There are several mid sized trees like 'tsuma gaki' that would be beautiful (although it might not do well in the sun), but the likelihood of finding one at a local nursery is slim. As far as low mounding types, a red weeping dissectum like 'crimson queen' could be used here if it hadn't been staked. It will grow more or less horizontally and along the ground if untrained. However, it can get quite wide in the 10 ft range. There are several dwarf shrubby types like 'shaina' that you might run accross that would be signifcantly smaller and have a low mounding habit.

Just thought I would give an update. Man has it been dry and hot this summer! What a bad summer to start some landscaping. My water bill has been 3x normal but I think I am getting positive signs of progress. I have some new growth near the bottom of the tree and at the end of a branch at the top. I lost A LOT of leaves within 3 weeks of planting it. I was nervous I was drowning the darn thing. I would regularly check the mulch and while it was moist before I started to water it was not sopping wet. I have been doing a trickle style watering for a few hours every night nearly for 2 months now. Most of the original leaves have either shriveled up or fallen off. I do have a nice branch of green leaves as well. The rest of the landscaping has been progressing nicely. I am looking forward to season 2 (pending winter weather of course!).

Thanks for that Jalcon Have seen this post before I think with a lot of these Situations the Choice of to Prune or not to Prune is in the hands of the Tree owner whether Purist ~ None Purist or Experimentalist I myself with this Tree have decided to remove the bottom 2 Branches before the Tree becomes too Branch Wound Envisaging what the Tree would look like with just a single Curved Trunk I would consider this the best Option,(In My Opinion as a Comparitive Beginner to many on the Gardenweb) Best wishes Stephen,Cheshire,UK

Hello all, thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts. I too would prefer to leave the tree alone if possible. The only reason I thought it needed some heavier pruning was because I thought that a 50/50-ish "V" split at the base weakened the tree. For this reason, I felt it might have been a good idea to prune the right side canopy this year to slow its growth and eliminate it completely next year. But if the overall sentiment is that the tree is healthy and the large split at the base won't weaken it, then I am relieved to know I can leave it alone. With regards to shape: I am ok with its current shape. The tree does look like it was trying to escape from the shady spot, and from some angles it's easy to see it was growing in a specific direction... Also, after transplanting it to its new spot, the canopy does brush against the deck (more than brush, I'd say some of the branches can easily go a couple of feet past the railing in some spots), but if that can be left alone, I will. Thank you for the heads up about the cut paste. I already ordered it, but I will refrain from using it. PS= if anyone has any advice on the best way to propagate some of the cuts from this tree, it would be great. Is there a branch diameter after which propagation becomes impossible? I understand smaller, younger cuts are easier to propagate, but some of the larger pieces I cut (see pic) are about 2cm in diameter at the base, and I would love to propagate them as well if there's a way.