Do we understand correctly that you just planted this dogwood tree last month? Did it have any live buds or leaves then? If you bought it from a nursery, did you get a warranty? 

We ask because the branches without leaves, including the main leader of the tree, are dead. If you have a warranty you should be able to use it to get a new, healthy tree.

If you don't, you can clip off the dead areas and allow the current live branch to grow and see how it fills out. You could tie it loosely to a stake into a more upright position. Keep it watered when we don't get about an inch of rain per week, and give it a circle of mulch not more than 2-3 inches deep, pulled back from being in contact with the trunk, and hope for the best.

Christine

Trees can be planted in summer, but it is usually not recommended simply because they may need more careful attention to watering to avoid the worst of transplant shock. Otherwise, autumn is an excellent tree-planting time and presents the trees with minimal stresses due to cooler temperatures. (Though we can still experience droughts in autumn, and have recently.)

Native trees aren't necessarily guaranteed to succeed over non-native species simply because they are part of our local ecosystem, though it is a very common perception. (More so, instead, they are much better contributors to wildlife value.) If a site is ill-suited to a particular species (or, equally likely, that individual had preexisting health conditions), they can fail to establish. One of the reasons many non-native species adapt so well to our gardens is because of their high flexibility in suitable growing conditions. Dogwood happens to be one species which is much more exacting in its preferences; in contrast, some of our native perennials are very flexible, to the point we can consider them weeds because they'll succeed just about anywhere.

Dogwoods are quite sensitive to soil drainage and growing in overly-wet soils. Additionally, nursery plants in pots are more vulnerable to cold snaps and desiccation because the pots are less insulating to roots than the ground would be. This is not to say necessarily that a nursery was careless in storage of the trees, but that such losses are known to happen and unfortunately aren't very detectable until a plant is supposed to be leafing-out.

Yes, we are looking into the symptoms shown in your other photo submission, though we may have to consult with our plant pathologist; we'll update you as soon as we have more information on that issue - probably early next week.

Miri