Question
I live in Des Moines, IA (zone 5) and am looking to plant a red maple this fall in my yard.  The problem I run into is the more I talk to people, the more confused I get by different varieties.  October Glory, Red Sunset, Autumn Blaze, Autumn Spire, Autumn Flame, Summers Red, Autumn Fantasy, Sun Valley, Brandywine, Embers?  Which Variety would you recommend planting for the three traits I'm looking for:  

1. Seedless, no "helicopters" to fill my gutters. Flowers would be fine though!

2. Bright, firetruck red leaves! Yellow/orange/purple are ok but I'd really like to have an eye-catching red as the main color for the most part.

3. I'd like the red leaves to last for as long as possible (time of year not important spring, summer or fall) but if I could have them for a month or two as opposed to two weeks I'd be happy.  

I assume they're all similar hardiness in relation to branch strength?  I would REALLY appreciate your top suggestion or two.  Thanks a ton!  Rick


Answer
Here is a list of the seedless maples all have green foliage until the fall and then the color will vary. http://www.midwestgardentips.com/seedless_maples.html

Japanese maples are the ones that have red foliage year round. There are about 1000 varieties of Japanese maple. Check with your local nursery for one in your area and there you can also look at the tree and see what the leaves look like. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_palmatum