Really not much of a shade tree :-) It tends to be rather narrowly upright.....the term used is typically "vase-shaped", but I find it to be a very narrow vase! So not much of a canopy spread to offer much shade. Also has quite small and somewhat crinkled green leaves. The overall look is much like a densely leafed shrub rather than tree-like. A very nice selection but I doubt it's going to provide the effect you are looking for.

Hi Gardengal,
Well, I'm glad I didn't run out and buy it. It's pretty expensive, but I would have purchased it if I thought it would work for me. But I would rather not make a costly mistake. Thanks for letting me know.

I already have a nice burgundy lace maple in the front of the house. So, whatever would look nice with that. I need a small tree that will shade my garden but I have no idea what to get. Any ideas would be so much appreciated. It is on the northwest side of my house. I get morning shade and afternoon sun there.

A.p. 'Omato' or A.p. 'Osakazuki' would probably work. Also A.p. 'Tana'

Hi kaitain,
Thanks for your suggestions. I will Google them all to learn more about them. Much appreciated.

'Osakazuki' gets huge! Way more than 15' and with a very wide canopy spread. 'Omato' and 'Tana' are also liable to get much larger than the size desired. I'd look at 'Katsura', 'Villa Taranto', 'Aka Kawa Hime', 'Beni Kawa' or 'Orange Dream'.

One word of caution re: J. maples in a perennial bed. They resent any kind of root disturbance - it can lead to a number of disease issues, not to mention causing unnecessary stress - so any perennials planted in the immediate root zone should be of the type that require minimal division or cultivation. A number of shadier location perennials could work well - epimediums, hellebores, hostas, sedges, etc. do not require regular division. Bergenia and pulmonaria are also good companions.

Gardengal,
Okay, I'm not going to plant it right 'in' the gardenbed. I was thinking just on the west side of it. The soil is moist there but it gets good drainage.

I'm going to look at your suggestions by Googling them. I will get back to you. Thanks again Garden Gal!

Okay, I checked them all out. I think I am drawn to the 'Katsura' So, this one will like sun?
The other shade plants you mentioned will be great for the north side of my house where there is more shade. I would say the perennial garden gets more sun. It is exposed to the sun in the afternoon. I am hoping the tree will like the sun. Although, it will get a bit of morning shade. I hope all this makes sense. Thanks again Garden Gal.

In our climate, pretty much any of the Japanese maples - except for the highly variegated forms - will be perfectly happy in sun. 'Katsura' is a great little tree with beautiful coloring - I think you'll like it!

Great, I'm putting 'Katsura' on my list. Whooohooo!
You're awsome Gardengal!

Just so you know, hostas do not like being in the root zone of any maple. The surface roots of the maple suck up all the water and the hostas will not grow well at all.

The above is not precisely true. While many larger maples have very aggressive root systems, Asian maples do not. It is quite possible to plant a wide variety of plants under a Japanese maple, as long as consideration is given for the need of minimal cultivation/division so as not to disturb the maple's sensitive roots.

And hostas, especially well-established plants, are a good deal more drought tolerant than one may think. They are actually a recommended plant for dry shade, a condition that typically exists within the root zone or under the canopy of large conifers, something that most PNW gardeners are intimately familiar with. These tend to present much harsher and more competitive conditions than any deciduous maple or other shade tree.

A classic combination is blue-leaved hostas beneath purple-leaved Japanese maples. The main general problem with root competition from maples is with large-growing maples, rather than with those of a particular geographic area. A large-growing maple native to Asia might be as overbearing as a Norway or bigleaf maple. And the North American native vine maple is as suitable for companion planting as a Japanese maple, perhaps even more so, since it does not produce such as dense, low head as Japanese maples of normal growth.

Hi, Gardengal48, is there any plant or group of plant, that you do not know about?

Was that a compliment?