To anyone Interested in the Colder Zones. Having planted a few Jap Maples over the years I have always tried to get trees that were propagated near our region. (a lot of these trees come to Southern Ontario via the Carolina's or the West Coast because of the rapid growth in warmer a climate). This is not always possible and as an alternative I look for trees that have at least over Wintered in our area. I've lost 2 Jap Maples in the last 10 years and one was due to mouse girdling. I realize that this is not always possible for the home gardener but try to find a reliable source by talking to people that have had success. Another trick is not to amend the soil in the planting hole to much, unless you are going to amend all the soil in the future root zone of the tree. Try to mix in as much native soil as possible. First waterings are done with a transplant fertilizer containing a root promoter. I've had good success with this method. As Ran stated you will always get some tip damage in bad Winters but I've found the tree more than makes up for this in the growing season. We also use the above methods for Magnolias and Kousa Dogwoods. Hope this helps. John Kee Zone 4 or 5 depending on the map.