One of the great things about spring is discovering which things you planted last fall are coming back. I planted a slew of perennials, including sedum, “hens and chicks,” iris, coneflowers, ferns, day lilies, and various bushes and hostas. The plants I chose are fairly idiot-proof; their return is pretty much automatic.

I also planted a couple of trees–both serviceberries. Now, my understanding is that serviceberries are typically hardy, resilient survivors. One of my trees is a big one and it is blooming like gangbusters. But the smaller one I put in is looking–well, a little skeletal.

I went to the nice people at the local nursery who did the actual planting to ask whether the tree needed to be replaced. They asked that I give it a stay of execution of a week or so before having it yanked out and putting in a new one. I was told that sometimes there’s a delay in new growth because of light conditions, etc., so naturally I said yes. I took this picture over the weekend. But today the tree looks no different.

Planting something is–above all else–an exercise in hope. But at some point it’s time to admit that a tree has gone on to tree heaven. Does this tree look dead to you?