Old and new Japanese maples

Hope you can help with a couple of questions about maples

Old maple
I inherited a small maple tree with the new house and I absolutely love it. It clearly suffered a bit over the years as it was planted in a border with some energetic bushes that were suffocating it. I cut them back and it is repaying me with some beautiful red coloured leaves. I really like to know what variety it is. I added a couple of photos, hope you can help to identify it.
Also I never fed it, what should I use and when?

New maple
I love the old one so much that i really want to get a new maple but there are so many varieties that I cannot decide which one to get. I'd like an upright variety with lots of foliage interest suitable for a container. I got a sheltered corner with limited direct sunlight that should be ok for it. Any suggestion would really be appreciated as I'm spending hours checking nurseries just to change my mind again!

Thank you

 

If you live anywhere near Poole in Dorset I would highly recommend a visit to Barthelemy & Co, their acers are fabulous, priced very reasonably, and you'd be able to see in one place a collection to enable you to choose what suits you best. Best as I understand it they won't ship anything with any size as they get either broken or jiggered in transit.





If you are able to get there then Compton Acres is nearby and one of its "rooms" is a Japanese Garden which has a fabby collection of Acers ... if they are open again by then May would be best time when their Azaleas are in flower.





I'd go there first and take a closeup photo of the leaf of anything you fancy and show to the couple who run Barthelemy for ID, or just for comparison as you walk round.

If you can't get there then maybe a phone call to explain your garden aspect, size of pot, height you want, type of leaf form etc ... I'm sure they will give you a suitable shortlist

My visit to Barthelemy
My visit to Compton Acres