Bonsai tree

From emailing:

I’ve seen some trees in the past that were in people’s front yards that were shaped to look like a much larger bonsai tree. I’ve been driving around and haven’t been able to see one.
Does anyone know what type of tree this is? I don’t think REAL bonsai trees grow that large, but I’m looking for a tree for my front yard about 4 feet tall that looks like a bonsai.
Any ideas, advice? Thanks for reading!

Sounds like a Japanese Maple to me. There are different varieties (growing to different sizes), but I think one of the smaller ones would fit the bill. You didn’t mention whether what you saw was evergreen or not. The Japanese Maple is not. I think they’re very pretty but have too much heavy shade to grow one. Look them up and see….