We have two Japanese Maple Trees ( Acer and Lace), they were frostbitten back in spring. There are new leaves in the middle,however; they outter limbs are bare, should we cut these branches or just leave them alone. Thanks
This can be a hard call....the branches may not have actually died but simply didn't have any dormant buds left to sprout new leaves. New buds may be forming on those branches over the summer. As unsightly as it may be, I would wait until it leafs out next spring to see if the outer branches are truly a lost cause. The other alternative....if you can afford to prune it back (ie. it's not a small plant), just make the sacrifice and it will recover most of its form over the next 2-4 years.