I have an area that is about 15 x 15 that I want to put a small tree into. It gets West sun in the afternoon and is often in the upper 90's during the summer. It is a more shady spot in the winter but it is also pretty sheltered. I do use a drip line hose frequently especially in the hot weather. I see a lot of people around here put in Japenese Maple but that worries me with the West sun in the afternoon. We are in zone 6a.