hi! i have had one for 5 years- it is extremely hardy- i even moved it twice at the wrong times. maybe you are overwatering it? they like poor soil and drier conditions. also, is it in full sun? it probably should be. if it's in the shade and you are watering it too much it would start to droop and turn brown. of course, it "droops" naturally, but should still have spring in the branches and look healthy.
mine just leafed out in wisconsin about 2-3 weeks ago and it looks fine- they are a little late to leaf out so remember that next spring if you are still nursing it along and you start to worry that it's not coming back :)

It is in direct sun all day long. My hubby decided "after I had already planted the tree" lol to plant a veggie garden about 3 feet away from the tree. So I am assuming it is getting too much water. I checked the trunk by scraping it a little bit at one spot to see if it is still green, and it is still a nice green color. So, I am hoping that it springs back. But it still looks all brown at this point.

i have the same problem, did yours survive ? i just planted in summers ?