Hi Lisa. I live in south OC, too. It wasn't just the amount of heat, it was the tender spring growth of the plants reacting to the high temperatures much earlier in the season than is typical. My Beschorneria wrightii (sorry, I have no idea if it even has a common name) had a 3' flower stalk going; a six inch section of the stalk just shriveled and the buds were no longer supported. A recently planted red trumpet vine seriously wilted. Many of the Icelandic poppys' foliage grayed and they still look stressed.

Your crepe myrtle hasn't had time to get a good root system going yet, especially for such a large sized plant, so I am not surprised it reacted in much the same way. It is rather large to put up a tent for shade until the tree can get more established, but you could try giving it a bit of protection during the hotter days. One option you could try is to make a protective cover out of a light-colored fine tulle because it is light weight, allows air flow and is inexpensive. (Roughly $1.30/yd and widely available from stores that sell fabrics). Baby the tree for a while; don't let it get water stressed. Remember that often the mix that was used to grow the tree in a container dries out quicker than your garden soil, and your tree probably has not expanded its root system much beyond the planted root ball yet.

The last couple of days sure have been more pleasant to be working in the garden, haven't they?

Gyr

I agree with the above post. Your tree has not had time to get the roots into your native soil. For this summer you will need to apply water directly on the root ball to keep it hydrated and prevent wilting. Al

I lay a hose on a slow drip directly on the rootball of new trees. I'll leave it there for a day. I do this every few days. Crapes take a couple years before they really get going especially if you start with a larger size. I've planted six and the only exception to the rule is if I start with a small one that has not been trained to have a tall skinny trunk.

Also that is a small root system trying to support a big plant. Cut it back so they are more in balance. I had a large one moved 2 years ago and I cut it back to about 2 ft tall. It has sprouted all over this area and I hardly ever water it.

Penny