Dogwoods natural habitat is as an understory tree in the forest, in the shade. Where was this planted? Did the water reach the roots? Were the roots taking up the Water?

Alabama, I ordered Welch's Jr. Miss several years ago and received a spindly little bitty thing that promptly died. If they had sent a more robust one, it may have lived, but I'm not going to try that one again. I love the pictures I see of the red-flowering ones, but the nurseries even admit they won't do on the Gulf Coast. Even though they can be trouble, the small, flowering trees are too beautiful for me to give up on entirely! That's interesting about Eddie's White Wonder, Gardengal48 - if the "48" in your forum names stands for your year of birth, then you and I are the same age. I think I'll order EWW - FF sells it in the tube size, which is affordable. Depending on which zone map you look at, I'm in Zone 8 or on the line between Zone 8 and 9 - I'm a weather nut, and the cold temps I hear about in Seattle and Portland are colder than what I get here, so I don't think cold will be a problem. I'll be sure and plant it in a spot with ample air flow and a good bit of sun. Sherry

sure looks like it was improperly done.... is it doomed??? .... sure.. maybe in your life time... maybe not ..... trees are pretty resilient ... presuming home and family are safe from it.. i wouldn't worry about it that much .... nor would i hide under it in a windstorm .. lol ... if it were overhanging the house... death to it.. asap ... otherwise enjoy it.. ken

It's a little hard to tell from the photo, but it might also have powdery mildew - the leaves may have a white powdery substance on them. This is common for dogwoods, and is unsightly, but not threatening. Good air circulation helps prevent it. If you are upset by it, then mixing milk with water, at almost any dilution and spraying the leaves at the first sign of it next year should ward it off. Spray as needed over the summer. This is better as a preventative - almost nothing works for a full-blown case. It looks as though the tree didn't get enough water in the beginning. Try scratching lightly at the seemingly dead branches - if there is no green cambium layer under the bark, then the branches are dead - you might as well prune them off, just where the new growth starts. Sometime this winter, while the leaves are off the tree, you can look carefully at it, from all around, and decide if you need to prune any other branches to get a good shape to the mature tree - it's better to do this while the tree is small, and the cuts are small. RIght now, however, the tree needs all the leaves it has to grow good roots, so it can be healthy next year. Check the soil, down 2-3" - if it is dry, water, and if it is damp, wait and check again in a day or two. Water deeply and slowly, so the water soaks to the bottom of the root area. Then wait to water until the soil is dry at the surface again, not on a rigid time schedule. You want to give it the equivalent of an inch of rain per week for the first year, then you can start tapering back. If it rains, adjust your watering accordinly. It looks as though that area of your yard is mulched, which is good - you want no more than 4" of mulch, however. Just make sure there is no mulch in the 2-3" next to the trunk, as piling mulch up around trunks can encourage rot in the future.