Northeast Gardening: help me with my tree, please!, 1 by Sofonisba

Sofonisba wrote:
I have two Eastern Redbuds. One planted two years after the first. The first was planted in 2004, the second in 2006. They were the same size at planting. The second is twice as big as the first. The first looks terrible. I don't see bugs, the soil is the same exact soil as the other one, only why is it so scrawny? Here's a pic. The older one is on the left. Can anyone help me solve this problem? I want the trees to grow in and cover up my neighbors house. They sit on their deck and watch everything I do. Then they gossip. Ugh. Maybe I'll just replace the scrawny one with a green giant....

thanks,
Harper