Japanese Maple Recommendation please

robertspink321-W6DUK4Z

I would like to plant a japanese maple but the choice is bewildering. Ideally it will be good for a large container, tolerate full shade, and not grow too bushy (it's going in a corner). Any ideas?

Nollie

Hi there. I’m no acer expert and others will doubtless have more suggestions, but I have a two year old coral bark acer called ‘Bi-Hoo’ (sometimes listed as ‘Bi-Ho’) which I am thrilled with. It has lovely fresh lime green dissected foliage, tinged with a little pink, that really lights up a shady area. It needs full shade, at least in my location, as the leaves crisp in sun. Lives happily in a pot, has doubled in size in the time I’ve had it and has striking orange/yellow stems in winter. Habit is fairly upright so would fit well in a corner. It’s raining heavily out there otherwise I would take a photo!

Allotment Boy

Yes Bi-ho would certainly brighten up a dull corner. I think in general a green, or pale leaved one is best for shade. The red leaved ones tend to go dark green if they don't get enough light, though partial shade is fine.

Nollie

Ok, break in the rain, so here’s a couple of photos, ignore the placement and the mess, I’m working on the area the pot usually sits in! Hopefully gives you an idea of the stem colour and upright vase shape:

robertspink321-W6DUK4Z

Thank you, that looks great. So good, I've gone and bought one. Quick question - my Bi Ho looks in good condition except for a couple of tips (about 5 cms) which are brown/black, though not completely brittle.  Should I cut them back, or leave them and see what happens?

Nollie

Oh great, glad you liked it and hope it does well for you. On mine, I snipped off the dead ends, so to speak, a week or so ago It always get a few. You’re supposed to prune lightly in winter before the sap starts rising otherwise it can bleed from the cuts once it gets into new growth. If it is still dormant and not putting out any buds yet it should still be fine to snip those off. Actually mine did have a few buds but it hasn’t bled, but maybe @Allotment Boy can confirm?

Fairygirl

I've just seen this thread, but I mainly have the red/purple varieties. The yellows/greens are probably better for your site @robertspink321-W6DUK4Z

You can take dead ends off through the year if you're very careful, but it's usually better to wait, just to be safe. However, if you take any dead pieces off and don't go right back into new growth it's usually fine.
It's not something I'd recommend to anyone who's new to growing them though - always better to err on the side of caution. If you're buying a decent sized plant, they're expensive to be experimenting with 

Hope you enjoy your new plant 

Nollie

@Fairygirl   “However, if you take any dead pieces off and don't go right back into new growth it's usually fine” - that’s sounds like good advice, leaving a little stub of dead wood presumably protects the ends from bleeding? Plus won’t see it once the tree leafs up. 

Fairygirl

Sorry @Nollie - I've just seen your post. Yes - I think that works well, and I've often done it. Some varieties are easier than others, but it's better safe than sorry if they've been expensive in the first place. 
There's always some damage on them here after winter, no matter how hard you try to get them in a perfect site, and it's a good way of disguising the dead bits, until such times as it's safe to cut back further