Returned to Japanese Maple after a difficult first attempt

My first attempt at Japanese Maple failed — verticillium wilt causing branch dieback on susceptible species got hold of it and I didn't know what I was looking at until it was too late. I left it alone for a year before trying again.

The second attempt, with proper attention to formative pruning in the first five years to build a clear leader, has been completely different. It's now thriving in a boundary or avenue planting in a larger space and canopy habitat for birds, insects, and wildlife is on full display. blossom or leaf burst in spring creating dramatic transformation this year was a genuine reward for starting again. If you failed first time, the plant isn't the problem — the conditions probably were.