I went out looking for a smallish tree to plant to potentially some day grow enough to replace a larger aging ash tree. It will be planted relatively close.

I really like Amur Maples and have one that I planted last year. I didn't plan on buying another one.

I found 3 Amur Maples in one pot. I asked the sales person about branches getting too close as they grew, and she said to just trim them. So, since I'm far from being a tree expert.......

Do you suppose these 3 trees were planted in one pot with the idea that people would separate them (it saves space), or did I buy what is supposed to end up as a multi-trunk tree? I've only seen single trunk Amur Maples. If it's multi trunk, should all three grow straight up or should they be allowed to slant outwards a bit?

I know, I'm bad for buying things and then figuring out what to do with them after I get them home, LOL. I won't mention what else I've bought lately =:)

Any and all comments greatly appreciated.

Oh, one more thing. Some websites say the Amur doesn't like being trimmed, and others say it can be pruned to stay smaller. ????