Hi everyone,

A few years back we purchased an Autumn Blaze maple from one of the best garden centers in the area. We took their word for what was good. We're very happy with that tree and it's doing extremely well. Of course, we paid dearly for it.

We want to add two more maples, but really aren't excited to spend that much money. So we looked at the local Menards. The trees seem to be in decent condition considering they're at a store and not a garden center. But we didn't pull the trigger on the purchase because we noticed about 11-12 feet up, it appears the central leader was cut off.

Is this normal? How will it affect growth? The price was right, but we don't want to sacrafice quality and long-term stability for price. Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks!