Koto no ito

Aratama

Orangeola

I got started with the same kind of list 10 years ago! Great idea.

My 3 favorite would be Shirasawanum, Japonicum and Palmatum .

It`s not cheating is it?:)

Well, I would choose

Shirasawanum Aureum

Acer palm. Ariadne

Acer palm. Hana Matoi

Junco, you and I must be cut from the same cloth. It's so helpful to hear from experienced JMT lovers, besides being fun to see the different answers! I am looking up your favorites and taking notes. Clever answer ttihomir7! But no, you did not cheat :). Forgot to mention I'm in z5/6, but want to hear everyones favorites wherever they are so other newbies in different zones are helped as well. Cheers! gcpda09

Maybe 'Bloodgood' (true to type plants and not seedlings), 'Katsura' and 'Sango Kaku'. These all seem to be distinctive and memorable. The last (and similar forms) produces a unique effect in the winter landscape, of course, but is also pleasant in autumn.

Mikawa Yatsubusa

Tsukushigata

Seiryu

None of these are flashy but they all provide multiple seasons of interest and interesting leaf shapes. I have almost 80 cultivars in my landscape and these are my all around favorites.

These lists can be so helpful to people starting out. I know I looked at a lot of them.

Moonrise (months of changing/attractive color, ease of growth, unique leaf color)

North Wind (fall color, hardiness in zone 5, leaf shape, form)

I don't think I can pick a clear third... Mikawa yatsubusa, Iijima sunago, Fireglow, and several others are in the running, and all for different reasons. Plus I'm still collecting, and have a lot of young ones. ...so I'll leave #3 open. ;)

I have a lot of favorites but at the moment I would say 'Orido Nishiki', Shirasawanum Aureum, 'Ukigumo'.

I'm going to pick three from my own garden and one that I think would be nice to have. I'm no expert by any means, having really only tipped my toes in the JM obsession, so I'm sure the list is relatively 'common':

1. Mikawa Yatsubusa
2. 'Garden Glory' Full Moon Maple
3. Acer Palmatum 'Limelight' (this is the name Pacific Northwest Propogators gave it, but no idea if that's the commonly used name, can't seem to find much info about it online)
4. Golden Full Moon - this is the one I don't have

Junco, I started the same way about 15 years ago. I live in north Florida Z8b so I have similar growing conditions as you. I'd be interested in what you have and have not had success with. I currently have about 75 cultivars. Over the years I have been moving more and more of them into the sun, including afternoon sun, with surprisingly good success, even for cultivars that supposedly need that afternoon shade. Do you by chance have an Ukigumo of age? As for my three?

Hana Matoi for outrageous color

Sumi Nagashi for beautiful form

First or Sister Ghost for the most asked "what is that one?"

I don't have that many. I used to have fireglow in a container it's a nice tree. I have a johnnies pink that is really pretty in spring. And I'm working on a kashima as a bonsai project. So I'll say those three. Fireglow, johnnies pink and kashima. I have pics of the laSt two...

I also have a plain green I grew from seed. A jiro shidare my first and oldest. I have 2 amber ghost for some reason... I've had and killed more over the years. They arent easy to cultivate where I live. Other departed maples I liked include Yasmine, it was really vigorous and really red. Orangeola, probably the only dissected leaf one I like. Ones I didn't like - green trompenburg it didn't grow for me at all. The manyo no Sato mentioned earlier. It bronzed out in the hot sun here and died the second year in had it. And oshu shidare the largest and most expensive one I bought, it just didn't grow well. Those might all be good for other people in other places.

I love all my JM's and would recommend any. One I particularity favor is Villa Taranto. I really like the long narrow foliage and the fact that it continually goes through color changes all season long. If there was one I wouldn't repeat it would be Hupp's Dwarf - too much like Mikawa Yatsubusa, which I also grow and like better.

The Manyo no Sato I had on my wish list has been replaced by Ariadne, which is on order and coming soon!! My usual supplier only had the Manyo in a large box and wasn't planning on bringing in smaller ones, which both I and my budget prefer :-))

Gardengal - I will need to keep a closer eye on the Villa Taranto I have planted in my garden. I put it in two falls ago, and I just don't recall it making much of an impression last year - that's not to say it made a negative impression, just that I was left rather 'meh'. It was right beside the Limelight which put on a great show which more or less eclipsed whatever was happening with the VT...

Planting multiple JM's in relatively close proximity will tend to create these visual conflicts :-) They really should be treated as 'stand alone' specimens to properly enjoy their individual aesthetics. Hard to do successfully if you are a collector, though! If I group them, I do so so that they will compliment or accent each other, rather than compete for attention.

Hard to do successfully if you are a collector, though

Or, if you are dealing with limited space! As it is, I've got tons of plants vying for my undivided attention. As an artist, I have a pretty good skill at complement planting, at least as far as my personal visual aesthetics go. I think last summer's drought season had something to do with it - I just don't recall it leafing out much. I'm going to keep a closer eye on it to see what it does this season.

I will say that the linearlobum types do not provide a very dense canopy compared to JM's with larger more typical leaf sizes. So yes, it doesn't appear to leaf out as much :-) It's just the effect of those very narrow, thready leaves!

So, here are some pictures of the VT in question, taken today. Of course, no leaves yet, but you can see the form. Actually, I appreciated the fact is more columnar instead of branching out (space!).

I've also included another shot, so you can see its main competition, the Limelight (to the left).

Hard to pick just 3, and mine could change next year, but for now:

Bihou - great in winter and fall

Shishigashira - just a really cool tree in my book

Jordan - beautiful leaves throughout the growing season

Seiryu and Waterfall are close to the podium as well.

All 92 of mine are my favorites. Right now, they're beginning to bud.

I am so excited to see the pinks, oranges, yellows and bright greens!

I actually have several I picked up at the end of the season last year and haven't see them in spring yet. Can't wait!

I can't pick 3. I just love 'em all!