Doniki:

For a fairly shaded area, the group of trees you are considering, that being forms of Butterfly and selections from Kagiri nishiki and Roseomaginatum, are not terribly spectacular and do not require a great deal of shade. With adequate or moderate sun, any veriegated variety will show the best color.

Beni shichihenge and a new selection from Europe, Shojo no mai, will show the most pink color. Actually, they will both show very little white. The pink will start out orange, turn more pink, and then become bronzed out later in the season. I like the selection of Beni shichihenge for the best pink color of the group.

With high shade, do you have any reticulated veriegates like Aka shigitatsu sawa, Kasagiyama, etc.? You could easily plant a Beni shichihenge in more exposure.

MJH

I recently purchased an "Aka Shigitatsu sawa," but I was told to give it more sun to get the "reddish" cast in the leaf, and help to accentuate the green veining in the leaf. The area that I have now is up against the house, which is a red brick, so I don't want something with red tones, but something with white and pink... It is fairly open shade through most of the day, and receives only about 2 hours of direct late afternoon sun. Thanks for the info, I'm going to look up Kasagiyama.

Orido-nishiki is supposed to be one of the best variegated maples. I bought a first year grafted plant this spring and the new growth is already exhibiting the pink and white on green variegation. It's mostly in the shade of a Yoshino cherry so it may do well in your shaded area. Karasugawa may be a fragile variegated maple and difficult to grow but the photos I've seen make it a pretty desirable maple. Also consider Asahi-zuru although only green and white is a handsome and hardy maple and on my buy list.