I have a red japanese maple tree 5 years old and last year at end of season the leaves withered and now mid May it does not have

Question

any leaves budding. Will it come back? The bottom does have 2 healthy branches growing out of it (saplings).
Do you think it will come back?

Answer 1

Your tree is most likely a grafted tree and it sounds like the top of the tree died. The shoots are likely coming from the rootstock and will not be a Japanese Maple.

There can be many reasons for the death of a tree; environment, pests, disease and oftentimes you won't know the cause.

It sounds like an opportunity to shop for a new tree, unfortunately.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/japanese-maple/japanese-maple-care.htm