First time on the forum and I'll start by saying I'm not big into gardening and I don't have much knowledge, but I do have a big yard now and plan on slowly crafting my green thumb over the years. I had a sizeable hole that the previous owners dog dug up and decided instead of just filling it and laying grass seed I'd dig the hole a bit deeper and wider and put in a shrub.
I planted a Yellow Dogswood Shrub in early April on a warm day for no other reason than I read they are extremely hardy shrubs and attracts butterflies. I frayed away the soil it was potted in and planted it with an equal mix of in ground potting soil and the natural soil in the ground, which to the naked eye appeared pretty rich and dense. I added just a little fertilizer and some grass seed and I've been watering regularly throughout the week, just making sure the soil is not dry.
It's now mid may and I'm noticing the tiny leafs that have sprouted are burnt and shriveled. Has it simply not been a warm enough spring yet? I noticed the large lilac in my yard has blossomed but some of the branches are also badly burned in sporadic places, leading me to believe maybe it's just been the cold weather at night, but I'm not certain. Both shrubs are in full sunlight, but my research tells me that the dogswood should strive in all conditions. Anything I should do different? Should I pull away the burnt ends? Hoping as if warms up it will improve. I've noticed the grass seed still hasn't germinated either, and this is the type of seed that apparently can grow even on concrete, and it's consistently been watered so I am clueless.
