Most people want to show off a Japanese maple...

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Just because the mistake's a done deal and the Japanese maple's trunk has already been damaged by that full-on winter exposure, doesn't mean the tree shouldn't be protected from further harm. Here, a cast off Christmas tree is put to good use shading and insulating the at-risk portion of the trunk. Photo ©2012 B.S. c/o Steven Nikkila 
 

...and that up-front position can be their un-doing.

 

 

More about protecting Japanese maples in winter, and why, in What's Coming Up 68 and Pretty protected maple trunk.