I am in East Tennessee. Zone 6b/7a roughly. Very close to the GSMNP.

They will prefer a modified Mediterranean climate, much like they have here in their PNW native range. So that means a climate with mild, wet winters and cool, dry summers with very low humidity. Not sure how well they will handle the heat and summer humidity of the midAtlantic area but some elevation may help. In general, vine maples are not highly recommended outside of their native environs or the UK (which shares an almost identical climate). But if you start with a small plant, it sure wouldn't hurt to give it a try.

btw, in case you didn't know, there is nothing 'viney' about them ;-)

Haha, I was aware that they aren't viney, which really makes me question their name. I really appreciate the info. Also, while I have you on here, can you tell me anything about Korean Maples?

In natural plantings, they are not very tree-like and do tend to scramble a bit. Also, any low lying branches touching the ground can root and start another tree.

Korean maples are great for climates that may be too cold for JM's or other Asian maples. I'm not sure there's lots more to recommend them specifically other than increased cold hardiness. They look very similar to a green leaf JM/fullmoon maple and usually get good fall color.

Here's a couple of mine.

Looking north.

Mike

Those are beautiful Mike. Thanks for sharing. I would love to plant some, but am weary about doing so after the info gardengal gave me. Thanks.

Kyle

I'd say if you can get one that is low priced, why not try it?

The pictures of the Vine Maple I posted are growing here naturally and are usually difficult to successfully transplant from the wild.

The little town I live near is called Maple Valley. It used to be called Vine Maple Valley.

Mike

Wild collected vine maples have been sold in local nurseries for decades - although maybe not so many of the big ones I used to see when I started out. I've heard commercial collectors supposedly used to cut apart clumps with an ax and the "divisions" could be expected to live, if handled successfully.

When shaded by taller trees in the forest these plants often snake around quite a lot, in an effort to get more light. I personally have measured a native-growing example at a local nursery that had an average crown spread of 60', as a result of this light-seeking behavior.

I've seen people posting on Garden Web mention having vine maples back East, you might want to do a forum search and see if anything useful comes up. Here in WA the tree grows natively on both sides of the mountains - the winter cold of the interior is apparently not a problem.

Thank you, Embothrium, for all the info. Forgive me if this is a dumb question, but how do I do a forum search? Thanks.

Kyle

On my computer there is big search slot at the top of the web page, to the right of where it says Houzz.