Well Acers certainly do not like being moved - how wide is the canopy as the root structure will be approx. the same diameter? Any moving needs to wait until late autumn when the tree is dormant.

there is a window of opertunity in very early spring to but as mg sais your going to have to be realy careful .

Don,t take my word for it without more research but I seem to remember something about preparing to move an established tree, I think you go down a spade depth all round what will be the root ball(as big as possibleas Mg says) this is to sever the outlying roots then you really care for the tree during the summer so it is prime health ready for the move, then when the tree is dormant you prepare a good size planting hole with soil the tree can easily grow into, then really care for it again until established..........years ago we moved one from the lawn and its huge now......(I,ll try to find its name, it was here when we moved in)

Its an Acer pseudoplatanus...variegated. (variegated sycamore) These are I think easier than the platanoides type

I'm amazed it is only 3 foot after 7 years in that case!

yes not huge obviously is in the wrong place .

Agreed!

Most definitely in the wrong place...embarrassingly so. We saw it, liked it and so placed it in a raised back border which we now realise should be filled with beautiful, but small, flowers. We've been gradually moving all the oversized shrubs to other areas over the last year, but couldn't bring ourselves to move this one in case it died. It's an Acer Palmatum Dissectum Atropurpureum according to pictures I've just looked at. And the advice is great, thanks. We'll look in to how to prepare it and hold off til after the summer. Can't wait to see it in its new home though.
xx

we have all made mistakes as its part of the learning proccess .

I can,t grow that in my garden, its too windy so it lives in the ornamental greenhouse

Ah Plumhues an Acer Palmatum Dissectum Atropurpureum can well be only 3 foot in height after seven years - we've got one older than that which is less than 2 foot in height, but it has a very wide canopy.