Are you looking for a Japanese maple?

Marcindy, the maple that comes to mind that fulfills your requirements is Acer palmatum 'Yuri Hime'. It may be tough to find, but it grows really slowly and takes sun well. Here's a picture of mine on the lower left.

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If you can't find it, you may want to try A.p. 'Mikawa yatsubusa' which also grows slowly and has been pretty sun tolerant for me. A.p. 'Kamagata' is also a possibility, although it would probably require pruning before the others to keep it within your size constraints. Hope this helps, Dan

"IF" you in fact are looking for a JM which hasn't been answered but is likly since you posted here Any of the above choices would be good ...but ALL would likely have to be web ordered... the Yuri hime is chancy only because it will cost you two arms and a leg ...if you can find one they are very hard to propagate and PRICEY!!!... both the Mikawa and Kamagata are readily available on line and you should be able to get an older specimin...which if you are zone five you are better off with unless you plan to containerize and protect in winter.
If I were you I would go Sharps Pigmy... It is small VERY hardy and survived last springs freeze well for me unlike many other jm's ...I had the other three mentioned above containerized and inside at the time so can't tell hardiness ...but I think all three will do ok in your area...and the freeze was a freak thing ... but reguardless of it's "freakness" any tree that made it through that 2 week period virtually in tack with no major bark damage is definitly recommended for colder zones thus my recomendation of the Sharps .... David

These postings are kind of exciting! Are you saying that yuri hime, mikawa yatsubusa, and sharp's pygmy are going to be hardy in zone 5. Dan, the yuri hime is beautiful. Where in the Chicago area are you located and could you tell a little about the siting of your maple? How protected of an area and do you do any winterizing for it? I have been wanting some dwarf maples, but after having aoba jo die on me and a couple others, I just kind of gave it up.

I agree with you about the kamagata, it would probably get too large for marcindy, mine is about 5' high and about 8' wide (about 10 years old).

Kay

Kayde, I've had 'Yuri Hime' in containers until this year. So I can't tell you for certain. This will be the first winter it is in the ground. It had a huge root ball when I planted it and it is located about 8-10 ft from the house which is brick and about 2 feet from a brick patio. It is also protected on the north side. It's siting probably gains me at least 1/2 Zone. I'm in Tinley Park. Starting off with a 3-5 year old tree helps alot especially with dwarf trees. I don't have 'Sharp's Pygmy' yet, but from what I've read, it sounds like David's suggestion is an excellent one (it's now officially on my list :-) ) The dwarf maple that really impressed me this year, standing up to the nasty weather this spring was 'Murasaki hime'. It would probably get too big for marcindy's purposes though. I don't do anything special to winterize any of my maples.Have a great weekend, Dan.

Making any blanket statements about zones is not a good thing....zones are BIG areas with many differnces within them including MICRO-CLIMATES ... siting your plants with good winter shelter from strong cold winds along with types of soil water/dranage conditions mulching practices, advanced root structure ( ie: older trees) healthy disease free cultivars and those that are least suseptable to such non early sap running cultivars. That is why I suggested avoiding the Yuri hime ( pronounced HI MAY). What works for me or Dan may not work for you and planting a rare very expensive tree is not a good idea unless you drive a Ferrari or 150-250 for a rather small specimin is "chump change"

...I think for non JM perfect areas one would be best served with containerizing expensive stuff.just too many variables involved to give blanket recommendation on stuff as much as i personally would LOVE a list. I have come kicking and punching ( I don't scratch ;>) ) to the position that the holy graiil of JM hardiness is something that with any accuracy will never be found due to so many variable factors involved .David

Yuri hime is prounced Yuri "HE MAY" ...can't believe I did that sorry I shouldn't post pronounciations this early ;>000000

Hi David, I agree with what you said about Zone hardiness. Just for the record though, I don't drive a Ferrari : ). I got my 'Yuri Hime' for $50.00 a while back. I didn't realize that they were so expensive and got such a great deal. I think even if I could afford it, I'd still drive a pickup. You can't fit any plants in the back of a Ferrari : ).
Dan

Dan I didn't think you did drive one and always thought that plant was bought a while back when it was less expensive.It looks older and established!!..It is a seldom propagated plant that is alledgedly hard to do so. One still might be had cheaper if the person/ nursery doesn't know what they have...but they are not redily available

...there are actually two types as I understand it one has longer leaves like yours ...the traditional and preferred one.... and one has shorter leaves which is not as "collectable" cause it is not the traditional cultivar although similar in every other respect and nice IMHO...
BTW I drive a Dakota pickup for the same reason Plants trees mulch and nursery suppies...I love my pickup in almost everry respect but they all have bad gas milage no matter which brand or size unless you go with a undersize 4 cyl. which is VERY dangerous on the highway( and should be made illegal for use there...ok for around town though) and unusable in a mountainous areas the fed gas standards just haven't applied to pickups which is a big loophole and BS... David

My Sharp's pygmy is just shy of 4' and nearly that wide. It is absolutely my favorite maple in my garden because it looks even better naked than clothed and it is absolutely enchanting in the snow.

I seriously doubt it will get that big in zone 5...or even here in zone 6a maybe in 10-15 years ;>)unless you buy a really large one and that would be pricey!! From what I have seen...it is not a fast grower "here" ...not super slow but not fast certainly not like a Coonara Pigmy or Ryuzu or Aratama ( if it survives ;>) ) among the dwarfs I've had experience with...David

First of, thanks a lot to everyone for your suggestions and your discussion of the pros and cons of the different varieties. I apologize for the delay, I just got back from a week in sunny and warm Key West.

Bboy, I was indeed thinking of JM, sorry for not having been clear on that.
Dan, I remember having seen that picture of your maples before, and it is exactly what I had in mind. Very beautiful arrangement of the Aureum next to the red dissectum.

David, I heard that Sharp's Pygmy is not really a dwarf variety, even though it is sold as such. What's your experience?

As to the sitings/zone/micro climate...I live in a neighbor hood that is about 30 to 40 years old, lot's of established trees and lot's of shelter from shrubs and other homes. I am a little concerned about the sun exposure of the site, as it receives full sun from about 9am until about 5pm in the summer. Would that be too hot for a dwarf JM? To the north of the raised bed are the three Alberta spruces, forming an almost solid wall 6' tall and about 8' wide. To the west of the bed is a row of Rosy Glow barberries that breaks any icy wind nicely. Does that help? Thanks again for all your thoughts and suggestions.
Marc

Marc... The sharps may be a bit larger than some teeny tiny dwarfs but is a very slow growrer and compact plant that needs no or very little trimming ever. It seems to do well here and is not that hard to procure at a reasonable price ...In your zone it will take years to get of size and it is unlikely to get too large for most garden areas...But it is your choice. there is alot to choose from...but you are in a borderline zone and I would stay away from anything too "exotic", obscure, or uncommon. Whether this or that JM will grow for you is a bit of a gamble since you and also I in 6a are not in primo JM growing areas ...and the folks that have luck with certain JM's even in your zone may be the exception.or you may be..Good luck..David