Our problem is trees. We want to add a few to increase privacy at the back. Last year I added two ash and one red maple in the autumn ( from a nursery, all about 8 feet at the time). This spring the ash have come back strong but the buds have not opened on the maple.

Someone said that the maple may be in a dormant state but I have no idea about that. I am worried that it's dead. And if so, did we kill it because there's too much water? There are other maples (red and sugar) growing nearby.

Does anyone have any advice for knowing whether the tree is dead and whether I chalk it down to bad luck or if it's an indication that I should not plant another red maple there?

Note we have tried to plant native cedars there but they died too. Is there no hope apart from the ash?

Sugestions/ advice extremely welcome!

Red maple comes in upland and lowland (swamp) ecotypes. Most cultivated red maples are of the upland ecotype. If you want an adapted plant, grow the maple from seeds of the wild ones growin in similar conditions around your area, they will preform the best.

Also, try the Atlantic white-cedar, Chamaecyparis thyoides, a wetland conifer. That will thrive in your conditions