Question
This spring I planted a crimson maple and everything seemed to go well, new shoots, bright maroon leaves. Then yesterday i noticed all the leaves have dried up like chips and I wonder why. It's been dry here (Nova scotia, Canada) and we have had frost twice. Can you help?

Answer
It sounds like a normal reaction to the dry weather and the frost. Maple leaves will turn  from green to brown after the first frost--if it has been dry this tuning will be more sudden than if it had been wetter weather. Meaning they may turn from green to brown without slowly turning a reddish first. Check and see if the tree is still alive-start near the top of the tee and scrape a small bit of bark off the twig--if the color under the bark is green the tree is still alive. If the color under the bark is brown the branch is dead at this point on the tree--if brown continue down the branch scrapping at intervals until you find green. I would expect the tree is still alive just has dropped its leaves.