where are you.. big city name ..

how did you plant.. how did you water ... did you water over winter if in mild area ...

did you add fert to hole.. did you amend the hole ...

anything out of the ordinary for winter .... drought.. fire .... severe cold.. etc ...

you didnt give us much info to speculate on ..

anyway.. looks like winter damage to a plant that went into winter stressed from planting ...

wait for new growth to show.. it should outgrow the uglies.. if all other things are ok ...

ken

@ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5 - We are in West Hartford, CT. I'm new to this so I wasn't sure what information was required...I watered it quite a bit in the fall (every few days) but stopped over the winter and haven't started back up again. I did include fertilizer when I dug the holes. If anything, perhaps we're in a bit of a drought? My plan is to prune off the dead stuff and just hope it fills in? Does that sound right?

sorta ...

fyi.. never fert in the hole.. next time anyway ...

next.. NOTHING needs water every few days ... learn how water moves thru your soil .. and you will over time ... and water when a plant needs water ... insert finger a couple inches.. and find out ... when you aare a beginner.. dig a few holes.. in the gob planted.. and in the surrounding soil ... to FIND OUT when its getting dry down at root level.. we really dont care about what the surface looks like .. a teaspoon is a good tool if you dont have a hand trowel ...

next ... as spring progresses.. the plant WILL SHOW YOU what is live and what is dead .. we arent looking at the leaves .. they fall off .. we want to know what branches are live.. soooo .. just wait a month or so ... and see how the plant reacts .. and THEN you go a snippin ... so you know what to snip off ..

this is a good lesson.. because some winters come along.. and do a lot of damage ... to evergreen leaves .. but not necessarily deeper into the plant .. and just about all plants can releaf.. if its just some leaf damage ...

so.. there is no rush to do anything ..

lastly.. perk your soil ... basically you dig a hole.. fill it with water.. and see how long it takes to drain by itself.. this gives you a lot of info on how water moves thru your soil.. and how to water properly and deeply ... if you learn nothing else in the garden.. but proper watering.. you can grow just about anything .... check some of these vids .. find one that makes it easy for you to understand .. it isnt rocket science .. lol

ken

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=how+to+perk+garden+soil&t=ffnt&iar=videos&iax=videos&ia=videos

Much appreciated, @ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5 - I'm learning! :)

Check current soil moisture situation inside original soil balls.