ask seller to replace it ..

that one leaf was probably all the stored energy it had ...

it might eventually come back.. but i dont give it high odds ...

ken

Thanks Ken, I wonder why it showed no energy at all, if dug up and stored properly. The nursery is reputable. I planted the day after it arrived, and did a proper job. The trunk is green when scratched. Yeah, I will get them to replace.

For whatever reason an often small percentage of bare root trees just don't survive the transplant or flame out in the first year even if handled and cared for properly. And it's also quite possible that the tree's roots dried out too much during transport or during the time it spent over-wintering in a cooler. If it was spring dug, perhaps it suffered some root damage during the winter or dried out too much during a winter drought. Hard to know sometimes.

Drought can cause late bud break, but if that hasn't been the case, then your tree is likely a goner. Either way, it doesn't look promising.

I contacted the grower about getting something for Fall. The Elm really looks like it gave up the ghost, with no signs of life at all in the buds, and we are now getting into late May.

Dutch elm disease took a 40+ ft elm tree this past year. It starts in the branches and works its way down through the tree. If you see green in the trunk, and the tree isn't going to be replaced, I'd make some precision cuts to remove the dead branches. Contact the grower to find out if they have had a problem, aside from basic dry roots making a tree fail.