Fireglow is probably not the best choice for a hot, dry climate...and in full sun!! A full sun exposure can be very harsh for most JM's planted anywhere but certainly not something I'd advise for CA's Inland Empire. This could just be leaf scorch, which is the tree's reaction to strong, hot sunlight. Spring JM foliage is quite delicate and easily damaged. It can eventually outgrow it but can look pretty bedraggled throughout the season until it does.

thanks garden gal. i am known for my black thumbs but am acquiring knowledge by necessity. now I actually enjoy gardening though the learning curve is steep. let's just say the landscape designer I hired does not have the knowledge and experience he wanted me to believe he had. I've planted pink melaleucas close by with the hope they will provide shade in time, and I am resigned that I might have to replace the little guy with something more suited for my area. but he survived my stupidity and ignorance last year so I really do want to reward his courage by giving him the best help I can.

Just put up the umbrella....hopefully it doesn't blow over in the wind....

If I'd known then what I know now....I'd have gone with crepe myrtle.

Hopefully that pink melaleuca will gain some height and protect it a bit.

The only reds that do well in my climate in full sun is emperor 1 and atropurpureum

Gotta be honest with you---if I'd known what I know. We've got full sun, we've got alkaline, clay, poorly-draining soil, we've got hard, mineral-heavy, alkaline water, we've got hot dry winds. We planted the tree mid-May of last year, right before it got hot, and way under-watered the tree (inexperience and ignorance on the part of my landscaper and myself). Instead of a nice, thick layer of rich, organic mulch, my landscaper covered the roots with a thick layer of DG right up to the trunk. Though his intentions were good, he buried a plastic pipe in the ground and stuck a drip emitter in it to "reach deep into the roots" and when I finally yanked it out it was clogged with soaking wet clay....This probably led to root rot which is why that branch, which faces South (i.e. the most stressful orientation of any branch) ended up somewhere between dead and severely weakened). So it cannot shade itself, and it cannot shade the soil which has Southern exposure. By all rights the little guy should have given up and croaked. But he's not doing too badly, except for that one branch. I am only half-joking when I tell him that I've got a nice crepe myrtle picked out if he doesn't make it, but I do have a lot of respect for his determination to survive. It goes against my basic philosophy of "if the plant doesn't make it in the location I will replace it with something more suitable". But I feel he's earned my best effort.

By trade I am in the human medical field....a poorly-taught, required course in Botany decades ago made me lose all interest in gardening for a very long time. But now it truly fascinates me.

It definitely takes a passion to care for them and keep them happy and thriving