Has Howard given up on shantung maples? I used to hear him recommend them frequently. I have looked in the library but other maples are recommended whereas the shantung is not mentioned much. What is going on?

I doubt it. I agree with your observation. It seems like Howard used to mention them more often than he does now. But that may not be true because I don't listen to the radio show as much as I used to. I believe shantung is recommended in at least one of Howard's books. Regardless, the shantung is still a great tree. I've had mine for three years and my biggest complaints so far is the soft bark is very suceptible to damage, especially from rodents chewing on it. And the leaves, although always beautiful every autumn, drop from the tree very quickly. So autumn color doesn't last long. Otherwise, a very "clean' tree that looks great in my yard. I've had extensive rodent damage, and the shantung is so hardy, it hasn't slowed down much at all. It has been growing 1 to 2 foot per year for me.

Thanks for those thoughts. I have one that is a couple of years old now and wondered why it had so many marks at the bottom of the tree as I knew it was not from mowers or weedwackers. And I have noticed the quick leaf drop, too. But if you look at The Dirt Doctor's home page and lilbrary, you'll be hard-pressed to find anything about shantung anymore whereas a couple of years ago he mentioned it at almost every opportunity. I don't listen to the radio much any more either, but this almost seems like it was marketing hype.