Cutoff for most kinds is USDA 6. Also, Japanese maples can turn out to look their best in shade anywhere it gets hot in summer.

contact conifer kingdom. and have them recommend some z5 JMs ... they sent me a few.. and they have thrived in my cold z5 ... i dont recall the names now ...

they have an extensive JM selection: https://www.coniferkingdom.com/

https://www.coniferkingdom.com/our-plants/maples/

trust me and embo.. the most exciting and exotic ones are not z5 compatible.. so dont get to excited about the possibilities ..

and you should be well aware ... trees NEVER stop growing at some magical height ... its all about the annual growth rate.. and how long it takes to 5 feet.. and then double that to 10 feet ...

the rub is.. if you find one that grows lets say one inch per year.. it will stay small .. but we will all be dead before it hits 5 feet ... eh ... its the old catch 22.. to fast to height.. and then it wont stop ... and though you may find some min conifers that grow an inch a year.. you are not going to find a maple that grows that slow ... at best... if you can find one.. zone appropriate that grows 6 inches a year.. you would have at least 10 years to your height limit .. and then you can keep it smaller by proper pruning.. lets call it in ground bonsai ...

but obviously dont go for anything with a one foot or more growth rate .... unless you have a big stick to beat it back with ...

btw.. many JMs have a very fibrous root mass.. and its hard to grow anything.. like hosta.. under them.. as they are water hogs ... im sure youve heard.. maples kill hosta thru water competition.. JMs are no different ...

ken

Between those two I think you'll have better luck with Beni Maiko. It will take more sun and lower temps. BTW, Wilson's Pink Dwarf is the same as Bonfire. Besides those other two excellent references, I use these two.

Buchholz is a great reference.

as is

Davidsan's Japanese Maples

Why are you limiting it to 6' (It will continue to grow). I am very fond of my Moonrise which should do well for you. It gets mid to late afternoon sun here.

I wouldn't recommend either for your location. Neither selection is particularly cold hardy - most reputable sources list a zone 6 lower limit for both (there are much hardier varieties). And neither will appreciate much sun. They will also both exceed that 6' height restriction provided they do survive and it is never a smart plan to prune a JM to keep its size in check. Unless you are highly skilled, the results are less than ideal.

JM's are not at all hard to underplant - certainly nothing like other, larger growing maples! And they will not "suck the life" out of any companion plants. I would offer caution about underplanting with perennials or annuals that will need frequent replanting or division. JM roots are very sensitive to disturbance and can lead to a variety of pathogenic issues, some fatal. Any cultivation in the root zone should be very limited.

BTW, Bonfire and WDP are not the same tree!! They are not even in the same JM grouping!

Thanks to everyone for all your information and suggestions. At first I thought I would plant a peony at the end of that bed. I love peonies….. but I felt that it really would not cast any shadow for other plants in the bed. Hence the idea of something taller. Since the bed is next to the porch, I don’t want something too big as it would be right next to the deck and porch door. Let me say I do have a Tamukeyama JM ( Acer Palmatum Dissectum ‘Tamukeyama’) in another spot. It’s a weeping tree. I have had it for a long time. It’s grown, but it’s not an upright. I wrapped it the first 2-3 winters, but no longer do so and it has been fine. It’s in part morning sun.

Perhaps a small tree isn’ the right plant. Maybe a tall grass or other perennial would be better…. I will post a couple of photos to show the bed. I would say it’s about 15 feet by 4-5 feet wide.

debra

Here’s the photos:

The porch is along the back of this bed. wish I had a better photo

debra

re: Bonfire and Wilson's Pink Dwarf - just going by what I was told at Maplestone and what Buchholz says on their site. They are both listed as A. palmatum so just curious what other grouping they could be in or what your source is.

Thanks, and with such obvious experts pointing the way it just makes me wonder why these two nurseries got it wrong. (One probably got it from the other one). I suppose a stock mix-up somewhere along the line. I also wonder which one of the two they are selling as the other.

Actually, Buchholz just lists WPD as an AKA of Bonfire, so perhaps they are just acknowledging that some people confuse the two and I'm the one misinterpreting the data. They do list Bonfire as a slightly shorter plant with slightly different colors and use different pictures for the two.

Perhaps I'm beginning to overthink this. Thanks for the correction GG, I'm glad you're around to set things straight.

Actually, the "real" Bonfire is quite a bit larger growing than WPD - one of the reasons it is not included in the Bonsai or true dwarf subgroup. But it still poses some taxonomic questions, as JM authorities consider it - Bonfire - to be synonymous with Seigen. How all of this got to be confused with WPD is a mystery but I trust the opinions of recognized authorities over that of nursery growers.