Did your Japanese maple succumb this summer to last year’s late freeze and drought double whammy?

Fall is the best time to replant Japanese maples, or any tree, local experts say.

“You can take advantage of the winter rains. You don’t want to struggle all summer with drought and heat,” said Pauline Manser, manager of Ponds & Plants Nursery in Dayton, Tenn.

Japanese maple sales have been rising in recent years.

Homeowners and landscapers enjoy their beautiful fall color, small size and wide variety of interesting shapes, colors and textures, said Bob Smiley, manager of The Barn Nursery in Chattanooga.

In North Georgia and Tennessee, Japanese maples are both tough and fussy.

They attract few pests and diseases, so maintenance can be simple.

But because they evolved on an island with steady rainfall year-round, the trees desire consistent moisture. Temperatures rise and fall steadily, compared to the Chattanooga area where late hard freezes are all too frequent.

Growing a Japanese maple in North Georgia or Tennessee successfully, then, requires the gardener to adapt soil, water and temperature to most closely match the tree’s evolutionary home.

Hot, rainless summers create the greatest challenge.

“They tend to struggle in the afternoon sun in our area,” Mr. Smiley said. Afternoon shade and good drainage are key, he added.

As for varieties, a wide range of sizes (2 feet to 30 feet tall), foliage types (thin-leaved to fat-leaved, for example, or small to large and variegated to solid) and colors work similarly well in the Chattanooga area.

Fun for aficionados, with a good track record for hardiness, is Shishigashira. Also called the Lion’s head maple, the compact tree offers “great fall color” and stubby stems covered in small, fuzzy-looking leaves, Ms. Manser said.

Last year, the Rev. David Hicks, pastor of Summerville (Ga.) First United Methodist Church, saved his trees by hauling bath water to them in 5-gallon buckets. Some survived the conditions better than others, he said.

Coralbark (a.k.a. Sango kaku), Seiryu and Orangeola rate highly in his 40-tree collection, Mr. Hicks said.

The more unusual spider-leaved Atrolineare proved its hardiness, but its leaves struggle in any drought or too much sun, he added.

For those looking for the toughest maples, two standards are recommended:

Crimson Queen, an 8-foot-tall, 9-foot-wide weeping-style tree, often appears in home entrances. “They have curved-looking branches that create an interesting look even in winter,” Mr. Smiley said.

Bloodgood, an 18-foot upright with deep red leaves, rates highly as an all-purpose variety.

“It doesn’t get as big as a regular maple tree does, but it still has that dark foliage. They work well in courtyards or up closer to your home,” Mr. Smiley said.

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