Can Japanese Maples be grown in my zone??

Hello everyone ! Every time that I see pictures of this beauties I wonder if I could give them a try. I've seen that some are hardy to zone 9. I happen to be in zone 10B but I'm a big time zone pusher. Would I be able to give any if at all a try?? Any advice or opinions will be appreciated.
Thank you;
Rolando

I think if you're comfortable being a zone pusher you could definitely give some of them a try. You'll just need to make sure that you can protect the trees from afternoon sun . I seem to recall others on DG from Florida (maybe zone 9 Floridians?) that are growing JMs and they can give you more precise advice. But I say go for it.

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm planning on keeping them in pots and if they go in the ground I would place them where they get mostly morning sun.

The problem in any "hot" zone is not likely zone "pushing" as much as it will come down to simple dormancy. In talking to many folks in these "hotter with no winter" areas you can likely easily grow just about anything in a pot including Jms but the question becomes how well they will do over the long run .. The same goes for just about any deciduous tree . Most folks find their trees show little growth and tend to linger and just go down hill til they are kaput ... I always suggest contacting your local bonsai club and to see if anyone grows Jms as bonsai in your "hot" area and how they handle dormancy ... Maybe you have a big walk in meat locker ;>) .. but I know many folks who have second homes in northern parts of their states or relatives that live in areas that actually have winters and take them there for a winter vacation . Most Jms liklely need only a few weeks of 40 degree or below weather to get dormant ..Of course I am not an expert on this ... and as I said local bonsai clubs usually have at least one person who attempts this and their success or failure will likely lead the way to any decision on your part..

i grew JM's for 20 years in a10b zone in So Calif.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/42018/

Even though they're the same zone, the climates are different enough that I wouldn't necessarily assume the experience would translate. Even if you ignore the differences in the summer climate and focus only on the winters, average lows in CA are going to be lower than in the equivalent zone in FL. The absolute minimum temp you'll see each winter will be the same (that's what the zone is based on), but in CA you'll approach that minimum on a lot more nights during the year than you will in FL. If you compare Miami and San Diego for instance, Miami's avg low during the winter months is 60 vs SD is 50. That 10 degree difference in avg lows could definitely make a difference in the case of a plant that needs some cold for dormancy. I'm all for doing a bit of zone pushing though so to me it would definitely be worth trying and see what happens.