If this was its first winter, then I suspect the culprit is cold damage. You are located in an area where Japanese maples are of borderline winter hardiness, you experienced what is the equivalent of a zone 4 winter this past season and Shishigashira is not considered to be as cold tolerant as some other JM's. Most authorities only list it to zone 6.

I also have some concern about the planter box. In the last photo, it looks like the planter is resting on heavy duty landscape fabric and not in direct contact with the underlying soil. Is this why the tree was planted high? Not enough depth for the rootball? And no winter mulch? This definitely could have been a contributing factor.

Need more details on the planter itself before suggesting whether replanting another tree makes sense.

If it's just normal soil under the planter box, not landscape cloth, then you could plant trees. I'd steer clear of any tree with a borderline zone rating for your area, though. If you wanted a JM, look into the hardier varieties-- the Jack Frost or North Wind from Iseli nursery, or possibly an Acer shirasawanum. I'm very fond of 'Moonrise.' With any of them you'll want to mulch heavily in the root zone (not against the trunk) during the winter.

Otherwise, what about a pagoda dogwood, or redbud, or serviceberry? All have lovely form.

I'm sorry you lost your tree.

just FYI, the plastic is only on the area where the front deck is going to go. :) it was just put there to stop the weeds from taking over that area since we knew we were not going to have the decks put in until spring. there is only normal soil under the planter boxes. :)

magpie/julas, FYI - I'm not entirely convinced that A. Shirasawanum would be suitable for that location. I'm in supposedly in 7a- SC PA (I'm not buying the USDA zone update) actually 6b.

The entire top of my Acer Shirasawanum 'Full Moon' failed to leaf out this Spring ...and it is in a location that is a bit of a micro climate. It's protected from cold winter wind by the house, which acts as a heat sink for the southern sun exposure.

Both A. shirasawanum and A. japonicum are considered more cold tolerant than the palmatums and are usually considered a safer bet in zone 5 areas.

Why a 'Full Moon' failed to leaf out fully may have nothing to do with any winter cold damage. They are a bit more sensitive to cultural conditions (with the exception of cold) than most palmatums so perhaps it is showing indications now of something that occurred last season. Or even a late frost earlier this season.

We're 5b here, and JM collectors have been able to rely on shirasawanums.

What zone are you in julas? I was at a local Steins tonight, and they had 4-5 foot Shishigashiras for $200. I've never seen them available commercially in this area before-- they had very large Skeeters Brooms (5'? 6'?) for $99. It's fun seeing Japanese maples finally creep into the northern markets.

@magpiepiz I am in zone 6a. I think my husband and i would both be leery of planting the same kind of tree, but $200 is WAY cheaper than $1,200. :) That would be much easier to stomach if we lost it. Thanks everyone for all the thoughts, advice, especially what other trees might be hardier in our cold michigan winters. :)

Gardengal, Cultural Conditions? Was it mad at me for staying out too late drinking with the guys? lol

Seriously though, what do you surmise could have caused it to not leaf out other than cold? There was nothing different from previous years. i saw no leaf wilting, black spots, discolorations, holes or damage of any kind. No browning tips, no insect infestations, no excessive late flush of growth. I checked the dead branches well and saw no obvious cause for them to have died. The tree looked great all year.

What do you think I should I be on the look out for this year, I really don't want to loose it, not to mention I cant afford to replace it!

Cultural conditions with plants relate to growing conditions specific to that site - soil quality, drainage, average moisture level/rainfall, light conditions, amount of wind, etc. Any stressors the tree might have experienced during the last growing season........like extended dry periods, weather extremes, mechanical damage, cultivation in the root zone. Any or all of these can have an impact on the tree's health and its ability to leaf out fully.