To late to divide now you'll need to wait until September and ask again then. Personally I'd be reluctant to divide at all as the can be slow to establish and flowering can be poor for a couple of years. You should be able to buy both at the right time of year.

Thinking about it I am also not sure that the divisions would survive being sent through the post as they need to be replanted pretty quickly.

thanks for advice ill buy some. As I have just recently moved to this area do you think a Japanese Maple will be okay in this climate and do you know when it would be okay to move a mature Berberis,do you think it would survive?

Japanese acers do fine in Moray, we have several of them in the garden. Wouldn't recommend moving a mature berberis at this time of year wait until the autumn now and if you do move prune back hard and keep well watered. Also make sure the new planting hole is dug and ready to receive the berberis before you dig it out, being careful to take as big a root ball as possible.

I might have some small self sown plants of the tall lime green one. They would survive posting as I have done it before.
Send me a pm Geraldine asking for some then that will remind me and I'll go and have a look.
ant help about the geography bit other than Jap maples do grow in Scotland. As for moving the Berberis with any mature plant its a risk. take as much soil around it as you can safely lift. dig the hole its to go in as soon as pos and then water water all the way for a couple of months.
c

SBG Bulba and I live in Moray :)

I thought you did but I couldn't remember exactly.

Just hover over my name and it will show Moray

I bit the bullet and bought a Japanese Acer named
Katsuro ,so fingers crossed it will do fine as there are
often cold winds here.Will leave Berberis be meantime

All the Japanese acres hate cold winds and Katsura is no exception. You'll need to give it shelter or its leaves will become shredded, go brown and fall off; the leaves can also get frost damaged. We've got several Acer Palmatum in the garden but mostly they are the low weeping type, the two big ones are situated, as far as possible, out of strong winds.

oh dear hope my maple survives this cold spell will have to get some fleece.

Cold isn't a problem, wind is it gets plenty cold in Japan where they grow :)