"Bloodgood" will tolerate perennials planted underneath, just make sure they're not up right against the trunk - plant them at least 2' or so away from the trunk, and if you want to plant shrubbery under/around the tree, plant out farther from the trunk than that (at least 4'-5' out). I have hostas, ferns, a small euonymous bush, hydrangea, Solomon's seal, etc. planted under the dripline of my mature "Bloodgood", have never had a problem with them affecting the tree, but they are not planted close to the trunk. Point being: Don't dig too near the trunk of Japanese maples.

Take a look at the base of the trunk - is the bark intact? Varmits can kill a tree by gnawing off the bark at the base. If the bark is gone, so is the tree....

It happened to a laceleaf Japanese maple I planted a few years ago, it leafed out then the leaves started curling and drying, falling off, and whole branches dying. Needless to say, the poor thing is toast - and I feel especially bad about it because the tree was a gift. Lesson learned.

In any case, if you suspect bark damage is the problem, a good idea for such a young tree is to circle the bark with some type of caging placed close to the trunk so the varmits can't gnaw at it. Of course, you're going to have to adjust the caging every year as the trunk expands in diameter. Also, moving any mulch out away from the trunk a bit helps, too (then they can't nestle in there and gnaw away while they're all nice and cozy).

Is the soil well-drained? Japanese maples like a lot of moisture, so as long as the soil isn't outright water-logged I can't imagine rain would be the problem. Perhaps you can dig a deep hole in the general vicinity, fill it with a few gallons water, and see how long it takes to drain.

I'm not well-versed with tree insect damage, so can't help you there.

Good advice. The hostas are not right up against the trunk, but they do hide the lower part of the tree so I'll have to take a closer look. It's very possible something has gotten to the bark and it's been hidden from view so I've not been able to address it. I use chicken wire to protect the trunk as best I can as this happened to me before with another tree. I actually did notice some of the bark splitting higher up the trunk. Is this a normal process as the tree is growing - or is that a problem?

I have a lacy leaf Japanese maple and the leaves do curl up some. I think that is just the nature of the tree, Mine is 20 years old. Like you I used to worry about it, even took a branch to a Nursery, they said the main thing is to see it has enough water, but dont drown it. My hose is right behind it and sometimes I turn it to a slow trickle with the nozzle next to it. Leave it for about 20 min. just dont forget it. I do have some ground cover around it so that probably helps too, to maintain the moisture. Good luck, they are beautiful so hope I helped some. Tricia

I'm afraid it's more dire than what I first thought. When I say the leaves are curling, I mean in a tight ball. It's very obvious the tree is under severe stress. I pulled back the hostas and about a foot of the bark has peeled off the trunk. I don't know if this is rodent or disease related, but doesn't look salvageable. It's too bad. I'll replace it this summer and I won't plant hostas around it, or at least not tall ones. My gut tells me that contributed to the problem.

Hi Nancy- there's a guy at the Fairport Farmers Market that raises and sells Japanese Maples, he seems very knowlegeable, he might be able to help. He's out of Irondequoit, his name is Dick Sage (I think- I'm not sure where I put his business card). Good luck!

Any possibility the tree got overspray from a weed spray killer...either by you or by it being applied by someone in the neighborhood on a windy day? You would be surprised at how far that stuff travels via the wind.

My dad lives in the country and once every few years, his shrubs take a beating from this exact thing. His neighbor ended up replacing 2 young trees a couple years back.

I've got it going on right now on a lilac and viburnum, and I live in town. I know exactly the neighbor responsible.

Just a thought.

We grow 50 different varieties of j maples in our 22 yr. old mini arboretum. All of them have always had hostas, shrubs, perennials densely planted under them, well within their drip line. Of course, we have lost and replaced some j maples over the years, but the feet-planting would not seem to be the cause, unless their various specific varieties do not tolerate feet-planting and we have not known that fact.

best,
mindy
The Cotton-Arbo retum

I live in Oregon where it rains for nine months of the year and Japanese maples do very, very well here. They are one of the most popular trees in the Northwest and there are dozens of cultivars available here.

I have shrubs, perennials, bulbs, groundcovers (too many to list) planted right under my six with no problems.

I would look to something else being the problem.

I planted my Japanese maple last April and it did great through last summer, fall winter and beginning of spring. Then first of May all the leaves curled up and the tree looks dead. We had a very wet spring and then it turned very, very hot . Any advice. I haven't removed it yet. Keep hoping it will come back.