Special maintenance, such as staking, or more frequent watering, may be needed to establish young trees on windy sites. This aspect of tree selection is often overlooked. The reality of the situation is that the top five statistics related to tree death are caused by people. Soil compaction, underwatering, overwatering, vandalism, and the number one cause, planting the wrong tree, account for more tree deaths than all insect and disease related tree deaths combined. Tree roots require oxygen to develop and thrive.
Poor drainage can remove the oxygen available to the roots from the soil and kill the tree.
Fill the holes with water and time how long it takes for the water to drain away. If it takes more than 6 hours, you may have a drainage problem. If this is true, ask your local garden center for recommendations on how to correct the problem, or choose a different site. Make sure there is adequate room for the tree you select to grow to maturity, both above and below ground. Hardiness is the plant's ability to survive in the extreme temperatures of the particular geographic region in which you are planting the tree.