Honest review: Japanese Maple is rewarding but verticillium wilt causing branch dieback on susceptible species is real

Japanese Maple is a genuinely satisfying plant to grow, but I want to be upfront about one thing: verticillium wilt causing branch dieback on susceptible species. I've dealt with it twice now and it takes consistent attention to manage.

Beyond that, multi-decade investment that improves year on year makes it one of my favourites in the collection. I keep it in a garden focal point visible from the house windows which suits it well. Learning about keeping a mulch-free collar immediately around the trunk has been essential. bare winter silhouette revealing branch structure and bark is worth waiting for — the plant really justifies itself then. Four stars because of that persistent issue.