Thanks guys, now I know what a full sized japanese maple looks like, learning more each day! At least I knew it was a maple...
As for the liquidamber, looks like another dig coming up to see where it's coming from & hopefully be able to salvage it. Save me waiting for the seeds I have in the fridge to grow.
If it is a sucker, is it likely to survive if I cut it straight off or will I need to encourage it to grow some extra roots of it's own? The lovely old lady who's backyard it's in
'may' let me leave it there for a while if I really need to. But from your description Josh they sound like they are tough enough to survive.
Cheers