Where to plant fatsia japonica

I bought a little fatsia japonica earlier in the year. Now it's HUGE but it hates any direct sun. I didn't realise that they grew so fast!
I have two options.
1) I can put it in a large container in dappled shade (a bit of sunlight in the afternoon) The container would be in the soil by the edge of the patio under an acer. It's likely to get plenty of water when I'm watering the patio pots.
2) West facing very light shade - in the ground but it will get watered only now and again. It's a pain winding the long hose so things have to be desperate!
I think it would become a nuisance if planted near the patio in the ground.
So really the question is about watering, I suppose.

 

I've always found they do best in shady areas but I don't think I'd attempt growing one in a container so I'd plump for option 2 . A nice wet well prepped hole to plant it in and then a good watering every morning/evening whilst it establishes. You could mulch round the base but scrape the mulch away and then put it back so the water has a chance to soak in where it's needed. I suppose you could trim it back if you think it may be too big to start off in the ground.
Once it gets going, plenty of shade loving creeping flowers which you can plant around the base.

 

The only Fatsia that looked very well was in a corner of a house on the north side that I saw while walking through Berkshire many years ago. It grew 5 meters high. The shade of the north side will not have the same strain on the soil in drought years.
I remember that Chalie Dimmock planted once a Fatsia into a container and said it can be kept under control by cutting it.
As soon as they get sunshine, they will be unhappy and die over few years.
Spoken out of experience.

 

I tend to agree that they like a bit of shade, but I have a big on in my front garden, gets full sun all summer from sunrise to about 5pm this time of the year.
It's been there about 30yrs and flowers profusely every year, I've never watered it or fed it.
I chop it back every other year in spring to keep it low.

 

Mine is in the ground by the east-facing side of the house so it gets summer sun from soon after sunrise until early-mid afternoon. It seems OK, comes out of winter a bit rough around the edges but responds well to chopping out the tallest and worst-affected branches right down low (that also stops it getting too big). I don't water it but it is close to the outside tap so it probably gets a bit of spillage from time to time. It was already mature when we bought the house in 1988 so not doing too badly. It's the ordinary green one, not one of the variegated forms. I think those are more fussy.

 

They only seem happy in containers for a short while so your second option would be better @BB3. I grow mine as a multi stemmed plant and remove some of the lower leaves to give it a bit of stature. In spring, keep an eye on new foliage buds at the stem tips which black fly tend to invade and cause blackening and distortion. I spray them off with the hose.

 

Thanks everyone. It looks like the lazy option is a no no.
Note to self: NEVER BUY A LITTLE PLANT ON A WHIM.
AVOID WHIMS!
Plenty of planting options along the West border.

 

I've kept them in containers for quite long periods without any problems, but this is where conditions have an effect. Proper soil, and not drying out readily means they'll stay fine for a long time.
If you don't have that, then they're easier in the ground. They do get a bit bleached in sun, so some shade is best. They don't mind full shade either, so they're quite adaptable, and also don'tmind being really wet at their feet.
The good thing is that they don't mind being cut back hard, so it's easy to keep them at a suitable size.