Question
Last fall I planted 3 catalpa trees and one willow. They came dormant.  Just a stick. This summer they have alot of leaves around the bottom.  New suckers coming out of the ground, but nothing on the main tree at all. How much do I prune or should I leave it alone. Do I cut the suckers off?
Please help!

Answer
Leave it alone. The trees are trying to grow a root system and to do this they need the foliage to produce food for the roots. The first year trees usually put most of their energy into the root system and therefore the top does not grow as much as you might think. Sometimes hardwood trees planted as "sticks" will die back and send out sprouts from the roots. Let it grow as is and when one of the sprouts becomes taller than the others you can cut the others making a single stem. I would think the earliest for pruning any would be the end of next growing season.