Beginner Gardening: maple tree trouble, 0 by kwanjin

kwanjin wrote:
...and an apple tree to the west. The yard itself faces north. So the only other shade is along the back of the house that you can see in the pictures. I have one miniature laceleaf maple that I have in a large pot pushed up against the house. It is doing fine. And of course the front of the house gets sun ALL the time. So I really don't have a place for it in a pot. Is there another tree or two I SHOULD get that will help? I need something fast growing but not too much trouble. Also, a japanese garden is where we are going with this yard. We started three years ago with nothing but bad clay and bad dirt. Nothing but weeds. And one diseased peach tree I yanked out the first week. How would a redbud or something along those lines be there? I am going to widen the area where this maple (the sick one) is. Our budget allows only so many things a year so I need to be frugal.
This is turning into a novel, so I'll say goodbye for now and thanks for all your help and advice.

Kwanjin