It is a reticulated form and absolutely needs some afternoon sun protection!! And that would be pretty much anywhere, even here in my very northerly location and cool summer climate.

Thanks gardengal! I wasn't aware that it belongs to the group of reticulated maples, thanks for that info. That actually makes it clear that it will need afternoon shade in my area as well. I also grow Shigitatsu Sawa and it definitely needs afternoon shade. Those reticulated JM can be a pain in the neck to place right. Not enough sunlight and they just green up, too much and they crisp. But boy if you get the spot right they sure reward you for your effort.

Another in the "finicky" group for me is Ukigumo. Mine took five years to show any signs of white variegation. It grows super strong for me and is about 8ft tall by 5ft wide, but the best so far (this year actually) I have been able to achieve is a speckled appearance of the leaves. Pretty, but definitely not the whiteness one sees when googling it. Sigh, one of these years..:-)

With Ukigumo, the more shade (or indirect light) it is in, the more distinct will be the variegation. And that will encourage the most white patterning. But IME, it does take some time for the tree to mature into the best variegation......5 years is about right :-)

I recall one that was offered for sale at a local nursery where I used to work. It was a pretty mature to begin with, in a large wooden box (and with a large price tag!!). But it was located in the shade house, a big open structure with a shade cloth covering so no direct sunlight penetrated but plenty of bright, indirect light. The tree was almost pure white with just a hint of green and pink coloration here and there. It was stunning!!

Just an aside, but due to lack of chlorophyll (not much green), these are not able to photosynthesize as easily as a one less variegated. So growth will be much slower and you will need to make sure that nutrient levels are kept up.