After a lot of research I decided that a fireglow would be a good choice for the area we have in mind. Today at Lowe's they had 2 big ones, at least 6' with very thick trunks, for $97. Too good to pass up, as this fits in the budget. I get that they're not going to be the perfect specimen a nursery would offer, but it's affordable and worth the risk. Not sure what the size of the pot is. They seem to be in burlap balls, then put in the pot with dirt. They look like they may have been there awhile, as one side is decidely "squished" looking, with no horizontal growth and some leaves tending towards green.

My dilemma is deciding which is the best between the 2. I went back with my husband and we bought one, but I'm having second thoughts and seriously considering exchanging it. (Needless to say, he isn't thrilled)

Tree #1 Very cool branching as the trunk comes up. At maybe 10" one huge branch splits off (kind of v-ing off), then the remaining big branch splits a little after that. Really nice, looks like what I think of as a classic JM. As I said, all of these main trunks are very thick. But after that, as you go up, the thing is a dense mess!! There are a lot of areas where you can see that main branches were cut, and then crazy growth and branches going in all directions. Not just dense, but messy. Looks like it was hacked up. Okay color.

Tree #2 Straight trunk with a very slight curve near the base, then branching starts maybe a foot and a half off the ground, with small horizontal branches coming off the sides. This one also looks like it had a few branches cut, but the overall shape is really pretty and the branching looks like a mini version of a pretty tree. There are no areas at all where it's a mess or has craziness going on. Leaves seem to be a prettier color, but not a huge difference.

Which would you buy if you had to choose?

I love the bottom trunk area on the first one so much. It's exactly what I was picturing, but then the rest is such a mess and I have a hard time envisioning it improving.

As for the second one, I'm worried that with out that cool v-ing in the trunk it'll never have the look I'm after, although I guess the problem is that I'm not sure what that look is! I'm hoping for a really pretty tree with interesting branching and color, a contrast to all the swamp and sugar maples (also lots of hickories and evergreens)surrounding our house. I don't want a tree that ends up looking like a little sugar maple, just red!

Do you all think tree#1 with the cool trunk sounds like eventually the rest of the tree could improve and match the prettiness of the trunk branching? It really is awful now, with different sized branches going everywhere, no balance to anything.

Do you think tree#2 could end up the better choice, with its perfect branching and form right from the get-go, but the super boring trunk? Or would I be crazy to go with a boring single trunk on a fireglow?

I'd appreciate anyone's thoughts or opinions. I know pictures would help, but it's too dark out now..

Thank you!!!