Just wanted to post a followup on this for anyone who may come across this thread in the future. I always hate finding a thread full of good information, but then not knowing if it actually worked or not. I replaced the trees that died, and the new ones are doing great. Here's what I did differently. (I know that for some of you, these may be the most obvious things in the world, but some of us are still learning, even from our really stupid, obvious mistakes). - I waited til it cooled down. It got cooler earlier than I expected, so I was able to do the transplants a couple weeks ago. - Smaller trees. I did still really need the height, so I went with 6-8' tall trees (some are about 9', actually), but I got much smaller caliper (trunk diameter) trees. I tried for no more than about 1.5" caliper, measured 6 inches above the root flare (some are a little closer to 1.75"). They're definitely much less full, but they'll get the job done until they fill in and grow up a little. It helps a lot that I found out that for screening purposes, eastern red cedars can be planted as close as 4' apart. Bigger, fuller trees really aren't needed at that spacing. - No starter fertilizer. These are trees, not grass. I used some Fertilome Root Stimulator & Starter solution (per the manufacturer's instructions) when I planted, and may add some Superthrive in a couple weeks, just to get the roots really going before winter kicks in. - Much better care of the root balls. I didn't make perfect root balls, as such - after reading a whole lot of back and forth between scientists on the benefits of good root balls vs taking as much root as possible, even if they're outside of the dirt, I kind of went with a hybrid approach. I got as much root as I could, and kept as much dirt on them as possible. I kept all of them covered with dirt of some type for as much time as possible, and ensured that they never actually got dry. Total time from digging to planting was less than 4 hours, and most of that time, they were in some kind of dirt. - I watered with a sprinkler for a few days, to let moisture come in through both the roots & leaves, in case the roots were having difficulty of some kind. Then I found out about Wilt-Pruf (prevents moisture from escaping through the leaves, which causes a lot of transplant shock). I applied it per the manufacturer's instructions, and am now watering with a soaker hose, as Wilt-Pruf should also prevent absorption of water through the leaves. - I haven't mulched yet (life got in the way unexpectedly), but I will be soon. Something else I came across in my reading - mulch isn't required, but most bushes or trees that are mulched in their first year or two after transplant show 20%+ more growth than those that aren't. Since growth & size are my primary goals here, it's worth having that junk in my yard for a year or two. We'll see what, if anything, will grow under these trees once they're established, but for now, it's gonna be mulch. Thanks, everybody, for all the insights provided. Hopefully these results, and what I did to get them, will be useful to someone else in the future, too.

I have failed at pictures thus far.. I work a full time job, and also run my own business so this post hasn't gotten much attention lately! We did have a cool spell for about a week and I noticed that the leaves started looking healthy again, despite my having forgotten to hand water. It looks like this is basically transplant shock that is only appearing when the higher temps come around which makes sense seeing it is a more stressful environment. I think all in all, I should just leave the thing alone and let the roots re-establish themselves. I was surprised since it really isn't that hot, but it looks like 80's and the plant is happy, 90's and the plant gets cranky. All that being said, the wood isn't dying back, and the leaves have stopped dropping so I think it will manage to survive. I will top dress next year to try and give the soil a bit more nutrient density and otherwise just see how things go! Didn't want to leave this post hanging. Thanks again for all the comments.

if i can subtract properly.. you planted in during the last weeks of august ... was your OH as bad as my MI them.. near hundred degrees.. and 70s at night??? severe stress ... even damaged leaves can process light into energy.. so dont go cutting them off ... they will fall off in a month or so anyway ... just insure you are watering deeply into the root mass planted... deep into fall ... and next time.. hold the potted plant until.. well.. about now.. as falling night temps are a relief period from whatever the day may hold ... just because you get your grubby mitts on a plant.. doesnt mean its planting time .... its good its deciduous.. so all the uglies will fall off in a few weeks ... and if properly planted and watered.. it should leaf out just fine next spring ... i like the primer below ... if you have that bad OH clay ... and are concerned about how you planted ti.. we could discuss it if you wish .. ken https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub ps: its kind of a big plant.. to be that close to the house ... if you have the cultivar name.. you could narrow this down a bit... scroll down and look at future potential .. https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=ninebark&iax=images&ia=images

omar.. denial aside.. its septemeber in the midwest ..... in a month the plant will be dormant.. and probably leafless... and until then.. its just going to get uglier and uglier.. and bam.. nude ... just a few miles north of you ..... in my ground freeze MI .. i had to protect all my roses with rose cones for winter... and that entailed sever pruning to get them under the cones... ergo. fall is a great time to prune roses ... once sans leaves.. when you can see the structure .... it might be time for you to do some pruning to maintain proper balance for the standard your rose is on ... i could never grow roses on standards because of the cone issue... whether it is on a standard or not.. it remains a rose.. it is not.. and never will be a tree ... there are certain tree rules and ideas.. you would never apply to a rose ... and vice versa... e.g. you wouldnt prune down a tree to 6 to 8 inches every fall to fit under a rose cone... ken ps: im surprised winter sun reflecting off the pavement hasnt been an issue with sun scald...