help with acer palmatum "orange beauty"

hi, need advice about where to plant my acer palmatum (orange beauty).

just got it today and have potted it for now.



where should i plant the tree? i have 3 possible spots in the garden.

1) in a pot, against the fence in the patio area:



2) against the fence between two plants:



3) at the back between the tree and the shed:




will option 1 work if i had it in a big pot and kept pruning it to keep it at a certain height & width?

with option 2, would it be ok being a bit exposed to the winds?

option 3 seems the best sheltered spot, however the view from the kitchen will be obscured by the apple tree:



besides, that area looks overcrowded already.

so please let me know which spot it best.

also, do i plant it asap or do i wait till next spring? give the wee plant a chance to get through winter by having it potted & indoors?

and do i need to do anything special for it? i have read that i need to mix john innes no. 3 & ericaceous 50:50 - is this correct?

thanks.

 

I'm not an expert, but have planted a few acers (normally the bloodgood) ...

I have found that in the beginning, they are very sensitive/finiky .... I planted 2 small ones a few months back, and even though I watered once a week, within a few weeks, their leaves started browning and fell off

they are just sticks now, but have small buds, so I am worried about frost(paid over £20 each)

of the previous ones that I have planted, I have found that they need to be watered once a week during summer and do not like wind or full sun

I think that once they establish, they will do fine with minimum maintenance (just feed once in a while and water regulary when dry)

I have been using John Innes #3 with all of the shrubs that I have planted ... I also mix in some well rotted organic manure (from the garden centres and not from farmers) and I always include a bit of bonemeal in the mix

I have recently started using rootgrow on all plants .... not sure if it works as stated on the label, but have read good reports on other forums

am sure someone on this forum will advise correctly, but have merely given my experience with acers

Lovely trees and I always try plant them as one of the main focal points of a garden

 

Option 2 is not good because of wind exposure. These plants do NOT like windy conditions
Option 3 is not good because you can not admire the plant and the area is already overcrowded. The tree needs to be somewhere where its beauty can be admired
If you can not give the plant an area where it is in a free draining environment out of the wind then stick to the pot idea where you can move it about
They are not madly particular about soil type but err on the acid side ... too alkaline is NOT recommended

 

an update on the two that lost all their leaves early (long before autumn last year) ....

they are doing very well now, and have loads of new leaves and look very healthy

 

Any pics Dim?

 

no not yet ... worked there today, never took any pics, but will work in a garden in the same street tommorow and will upload pics tommorow night