In my area, this tree can grow very happily in full sun. We are pretty far north (lat 47) and summer sun tends not to be as intense as in more southerly locations but I can't imagine this tree not being happy in full sun anywhere, provided it gets sufficient water. Green leaves are green leaves :-)) And yes, you do need some sun to develop good fall color.

Shade definitions ARE tricky!! Full sun is considered to be 6 or more hours......anything less is part sun and/or part shade. Full shade is considered to be with NO direct sunlight and is generally created by tall structures or tall and heavy tree canopies. North side plantings - while often receiving little, if any, direct sunlight - is generally considered something less than "full shade" simply because it receives considerable bright but indirect light. And then there is dappled or filtered shade, where sunlight can appear fleetingly at any time of day through a lacy canopy or open overhead structure.

A bit complicated, huh?

The owner of blue river nursery told me his are growing in full sun (8+ hours) in Indiana. I can't attest to any personal experience.

I only had one plant die from full sun exposure...A. palmatum 'Brandt's Dwarf'. Strange one to say the least. Although I asked around and its not the strongest grower.

The rest (in your other post) are all in 8+ hours of sun. A couple cultivars are getting some leaf scorch but should improve as they get established.

I have one in full sun till about 2 PM and then bright high shade - and doing very well since 1998.
Marshall

Indeed it is complicated! Ok, I'll ask for your take on which site to go with then. I have 3 spots that would be pretty good for people being able to see the tree, which I certainly want.

1. I have a site that will get shade first from my neighbor's house and then from my house. But for a 3-4 hour period of time from 10:40am or so till 2pm it will get direct sunlight. For the rest of the day it will have shade though. It seems like a bit too much shade maybe, but what do I know?

2. I have a spot that will get some early morning sun, but by about 8 or 9am the sun is dappled as you say. It stays dappled for quite a while, until it gets full shade around 7pm. So this site has 2-3 hours of direct morning sunlight and then the rest of the day dappled sun. Could be good, but again, what do I know?

3. I do have one more site that gets sun starting at about 2pm. Before that it gets what I would have to call full shade, although it's possible that a very small amount might slip through the seemingly impenetrable hedge. It will have direct sun from 2pm till about 6pm. From 6pm on it will have dappled shade with barely any sun getting through and then just full shade. Since everyone seems to favor morning sun, this site seemed not to fit, but at the risk of sounding like a broken record, what do I know?

If any of you have a take on this I would appreciate it. Obviously I'm giving very general descriptions, so I understand that what I am asking is difficult. Seeing it in person would probably be best, but that clearly isn't practical. I do have plenty of sites that have tons of shade, but since I want the fall color, those seem like a poor choice. Well, I've rambled long enough. Thanks for any thoughts you may have!

Mine gets full sun until about 3 in the afternoon. I wouldn't be surprised if it could handle full sun the rest of the day as well. Zone 5a

Here is a little fall color from my Aconitifolium

Situation #2 w/o question.

Dax

Excellent. I really appreciate everyone's advice. I am going to go with site #2 after this terrible heat wave passes (if it passes).