I purchased last spring and planted it in the ground right away. Upon doing so, I snapped the top part of the branch off. It did grow 2 small branches that did leaf out last year, but it seems to be very slowly growing outward instead of upward. It also feel flimsy and feels like the roots haven't taken hold. Upon inspection, I do see some little nubs on all thebranches, which leads me to believe it's alive. If it's dead I want to replace it now and not waste another year. In MI, it's still dormant. What can I do to confirm life or death? I am the one to originally plant it and did attach a picture. As you can see the branches are different colors. The white branch is the original that I snapped the top off and the brown are the new branches.