We live in Buffalo and my Japanese Maple looks just like yours and has just a few leaves when everyone else's has bloomed. I am hoping it is the variety with this horrible winter, but I share your worry. Would be a very big loss for us

Gardengal48, the stems at the end are dead and flaky they just crumble off when you touch them. The red little spikes are in the first photo in the middle left of the branch. The branches and tree are all green and look healthy inside. But I'm still worried. Is there anything I can do to help things along? Richard I hope yours is ok too! Let's hope in a couple of weeks they will be all bloomed.

Those little red spikes look like a second set of buds developing. I'd give it a couple of weeks and see if they start to get bigger. It's a lovely tree.

I have a Ki hachijo that did the same thing this spring. Not every old bud sprouted new buds, but many did. I think it will fill in well over time.

I just noticed today there are a lot of cobwebs on the branches. Are these trees mite prone?

If you mean spider mites, not particularly. And spider mites tend to appear later in the season if they do appear - they like it hot and dry. I'd suspect what you are seeing are just cobwebs from regular spiders. And they are harmless.

Managed to get a better picture of the buds today.... Does this look promising?

Very! You'll have new leaves soon. :)

I found the culprit with my zoom lens !! Winter moth caterpillars!!!

did you read about the BT treatment?

http://wpri.com/2015/05/18/expert-caterpillars-damaging-killing-trees/

Yes sprayed last night, praying it works!

Also something else that might have affected it. When my mother in law was here she wanted to plant a flowerbed under the tree. While cleaning the flower bed she was pulling all these hairlike routes out in order to plant the annuals. (See picture 2) Do you think she damaged the routes badly?

She might have. Japanese maple roots are very sensitive to disturbance and that can cause the tree a lot of stress and allow disease pathogens to invade. Planting annuals underneath a JM is NOT advised. In fact, cultivating at all in the root zone is not advised. If you want to plant something there, it should be simultaneous to when the tree is originally planted and something that needs no attention like dividing, etc. Groundcovers are good choices. Otherwise, just mulch.

Thanks for the advice, we put some fresh mulch down and the tree is improving. 3 branches have a few leaves and there's more coming through all over. Slow progress but progress!!

I’m in Nashville, and my 3 year old Japanese Maple doesn’t have one leaf on it. All the others on my street are full of leaves. It has buds and some of the lower smaller branches were dry and just snapped off. I did the finger nail test... no softness or mushiness. I love this tree. How can I help it?

Patience as a starter :-)) Different JM's will leaf out at different times.....mine are in a mixed state of leafing out with some almost fully leafed and others just barely starting.

Pics would help. Are the buds firm and plump?

I'm thinking you are seeing effects of the harsh winter.