johnnydoom I am a huge fan of the Coral Bark, we have 6 or 7 of them, they are not particularly fast growers, they seem to expend a lot of energy on new shoots rather than going up. They are absolutely beautiful though. Japanese maples aren’t nearly as sensitive as they are made out to be, especially in the south. The one thing you do have to be a little concerned about is the WINTER sun, if we catch one of those cold streaks and have a day where the sun is particularly intense while the tree is cold, it can actually burn the bark, much like we get sun burn. It will heal itself, but it’s ugly for a few years. Keeping it out of the afternoon sun is a good call, but be more weary of where that is in the winter months than the summer.
I personally don’t have the patience to deal with small trees in my own lawn. I tend to move before anything really takes off, so waiting 10-15 years isn’t an option to me. My “pitch” if you call it that, to anyone who asks my opinion, is buy the biggest things your budget will allow and plant them where they look good to you. If you are in your “forever home”, give them appropriate space, if this is the 5 years home, plant for the look now, and let the next guy deal with it when they are too close etc. The guy that owned my house before me did just that and I wanted to slap him when I got into landscaping, but to the point, he got to enjoy the look and it was my problem 😂
