I have a beautiful japanese maple, maybe 35+ years old, that is losing leaves and appears to be dying. We had dramatic tempperature extremes in early spring and that may have done damage to one half of the tree, according to the Insect and Plant Disease Clinic at NCSU. The tree again is losing leaves. The only difference between now and years ago is that I planted hostas, ferns and spiderwort at the foot of the maple a few years ago. They are now thriving but the maple is failing. Could these plants be too much competition for the maple and what can I do to save this beautiful tree? Thanks for any suggestions!