Last summer I had a Little Leaf Linden planted in my boulevard by the city. Last summer in Michigan was very dry and hot and although I tried to keep it watered, the leaves dried up and fell off before fall. Hoping it was just stressed, I waited for spring and lo and behold it got buds! Well, only half the buds opened and the leaves are small and malformed. The rest of the buds rotted and fell off. I've been using a Tree Gator Jr. to water it this year...is my tree a goner? It's only guaranteed for one year and the city won't replace it if it shows growth, but it looks dead! Will it be better next year?
Depends on what, exactly is going on. Dig into soil near tree to check moisture. Have you mulched? Unmulched trees may malinger, it can be surprising how response improves after mulching is then undertaken. In nature there is a protective blanket of organic litter over the ground everywhere except in desert or other severe sites such as recently burned ones. (Even a burn will tend to have an ash layer).
When the City planted the tree they did a nice job mulching around the tree. The leaves that did sprout are only on the ends of the branches and and look like they've been eaten all around the edges, but they came out that way. I was thinking maybe the buds got damaged with a late frost, but the rest of the trees in the area are fine.