Hi all,
I want to put 4 pots of smallish Japanese maples in front of my front porch. I could use help choosing the varieties.

Ideal grown tree height is 8ft or below. I want to select either 2 or 4 separate varieties that go together in terms of height, width, shape. They don't have to perfectly match, just not look too weird together. I have maxed out on googling and searching forums. Amazon has seeds for similar trees, but would like small trees.

Any suggestions? I'm in zone 7, in Maryland just north of DC. Location has full sun.

Thanks

I can't help you choose trees but I can offer some advice:

Explore the websites selling JMs, read descriptions (size, shape, color...). Google the trees that interest you to see what mature trees look like. But remember, those trees have been grown in the best conditions - your trees will look different.

Buy from good nurseries like MrMaple or Conifer Kingdom. There are others but you get what you pay for.

Buy bottom grafted trees. Top grafted trees are cheaper but bottom grafted trees do better in the long run.

Seed grown trees want to be 25 ft tall and wide. You can prune them to maintain size but its not easy to keep the grace and beauty of the tree.

JMs will not do well in full sun. The leaves are tender and burn easily in the sun and wind. Maybe rethink your plan. There are lots of miniature trees (evergreen and deciduous) that do well in pots.

Buy bottom grafted trees.

I have made a spreadsheet of all the cultivars I've considered that I've run across, to help me remember their highlights when it comes time to choose them... and I can filter for various qualities like being dwarf and doing well in full sun/heat (to the best of my knowledge from research). So what kind of leaf features are you looking for? laceleaf, matsumerae, strap leaf, variegation, colors and seasonal changes, ??? I don't know your preferences, but I could tell you what my list comes up with that at least could give you names to look up.

Just filtering for dwarf and sun tolerance, I come up with these candidates to suggest:
Acer palmatum 'Abigail Rose'
Acer palmatum 'Brant's Dwarf'
Acer palmatum 'Hime Shojo'
Acer palmatum 'Kamagata'
Acer palmatum 'Kuro Hime'
Acer palmatum 'Mikawa Yatsubusa'
Acer palmatum 'Monticello Gardens'
Acer palmatum 'Ojishi' Male Lion
Acer palmatum 'Sherwood Elfin'
Some sellers may also give you decent options if you search by keyword for 'dwarf' and 'heat tolerant' or 'full sun' or similar. There are lots of options to choose from!! And of course, larger forms can easily be kept smaller in pots, if you want even more options.

Let me know if you'd like me to run any more filters to suggest!

@rabinthotmailcom
Could you take a pic of the area you want to plant maples ?
It would help to see the area and a better idea of the type of space all sun all shade etc.
I have several Japanese maples … one on the front porch and another near the back porches and several varieties in the garden of all different sizes colors some with with tri color leaves , and several dwarfs and a few trident maples.

Bea, suggested lots of pics, as the way to progress on this one.
Couldn't agree more..
John