[reddy1]

criteria

looking to purchase an established tree not seeds.
under $100
something that will stay under 10 feet.
bushy is ok.
nice colors would be a big plus.
thin mutant leafs would be cool.
slow growth is not preferred but acceptable.
maybe something that wouldn't mind a large planter so it can be moved. mostly sunny location.
tolerable up to 60mph wind.


thanks for the help.

[HighonPottery]

if you can't find a dwarf species, pretty much any japanese maple tree can be kept in a dwarf-like state as long as you prune it. japanese maple bonsai are not necessarily dwarf species, they have just been trained and pruned to stay compact. from my experience, japanese maples don't like too much sun, the leaves will wilt/droop. also, if you want a 10' tree in a pot, that's gonna be one BIG pot and VERY heavy to move around. for some reason, japanese maples are always very expensive at nurseries compared to other trees.

Reddy,

Bloodgood is the oldschool mainstream red selection, Emperor 1 is even hardier, both are common E1 less so. It seems the clones with the cut leaves stay short and wide but are slower growing.

There are so many varities available, I'd take the time to find a specialty nursery; other wise you'll be getting the easiest plant to produce commercially not the one with wild colored dissected leaves. Check out Forest FArm they have some cool ones

[jaykush]

thin leaves, cool colors, low height and slow growing? do a search for koto no ito. beautiful plant.