Hello all

First posting and hoping someone can help.

We moved into our house last spring and inherited this nice size specimen bloodwood acer. It's about 1.5-2m high. Last summer the leaves started developing these yellow spots on them and shrivelling up to fall early (Sept).

I noticed a kind of scale insect on the little stems and leaves. Sprayed with a product this spring which seams to have cleared the scale. However come July they are getting spotty and now in early Sept they are crinkling up all dry.

When we moved in I put a layer of deocrative bark chips down under it. Suffocating roots?

Other poss might be that is next to (1m from) an arbor vitae (3m high conifer) which is taking all the moisture?

Any ideas gratefully recieved.