I have a 16ft tall red maple, bought from Lowes. It has been planted since august of 2003, my house was built in June of 03, so the soil conditions are not the greatest. At least once a summer it looses all leaves and then reblooms. In the past 3 years the tree has not gotten any bigger or fuller, I'm about ready to give up and replace it, do you have any suggestions?

There could be a lot of problems causing these symptoms. The first to check is the planting.

Dig down around the base of the tree until you find the tops of the main roots (not just small root shoots). This is where the soil level should be. If you find any twine or burlap, remove it. If the soil is higher than this level, remove all the soil down to this level all the way out to the drip line (branch spread) of the tree. Put a THIN layer of mulch over the exposed soil, not more than about 2 or 3 inches deep. DO NOT put any mulch directly against the bark of the trunk- leave a small open depression there. The mulch should be mostly flat, not mounded.

If this dosn’t seem to be the problem, contact a local Certified Arborist for an on-site inspection. Go to International Society of Arboriculture and follow links to Find an Arborist.