As Sacha said Acers can be difficult.
If you are looking at the Crocus site I suggest having a look at Acer
Osakazuki. The picture shows the Autumn colour. In spring it has a vibrant
green leaf with interesting red keys. It is a little more tolerant of wind
than the Dark leaved varieties. As a bonus it has an interesting bark.
Although it is supposedly slow growing it's faster than most . If the pay
cheque is big enough go for the larger offering, the small one is not much
better than a twig.


Thats the one I've gone for (or will).. and yes, I've also gone for thew
arger offering fearing exactly what you have confirmed about it being a
twig ! Looks beautiful, and several colleagues at work have recommended
it too.