I'm trying to remember San Bernardino County from my office job with the Railroad. That's pretty much Los Angeles east to Palm Springs and bordered by the Cajon Pass and Devore on the north?

My guess from pasting your weather conditions into reports is it will depend on your elevation. If you have a little elevation to break the heat and have some moisture it will probably grow. Not sure I'd plant it where its dry and there are watering restrictions.

This is a tree I really like btw.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/detail.php?pid=260

Most stock of this tree sold to retailers in the West at least comes from Monrovia nursery in California. Find your location on a Sunset Climate Zone map (Sunset Publishing web site or print copy of Sunset Western Garden Book), look up Magnolia in the plant encyclopedia section and then see where they have similar deciduous, spring flowering magnolias indicated as being able to grow. Note that saucer magnolia is more widely adapted than most of these types; being from New Zealand 'Black Tulip' was selected under soft climate conditions and cannot be expected to be as tough as saucer magnolia (listings of 'Black Tulip' as a saucer magnolia cultivar are erroneous).

Wait, isn't tulip magnolia slang for Liriodendron tulipifera?

How the heck do we have two names for a tree species anyway. Silly or shadey, like that one gal my wife doesn't like texting me that I call "Bob" in my contacts list.

Just kidding!

Tulip poplar or tulip tree for the Liriodendron. Saucer magnolia is also frequently called tulip tree in my area. But I have never seen or heard tulip magnolia for Liriodendron.

Hi toronado,
Yes, you are correct, San Bernardino County is on the East side of LA. But my tree is not Liriodendron tulipifera. Please check the link below, that is the tree I got.

Bboy,
You are right, The tree is from Monrovia. In the Monrovia's website, it mentions that the tree can grow in USDA Zone: 5 - 9. My area is zone 9. I got the tree from Lowes in my area. I water is every day but the young leaves at the top of the tree were shriveled and dried (I leave the pot in a partial sun area, and temp is around 90F). The leaves at the bottom of the tree are not shriveled but they are crispy even they are still green. Yesterday I came back to check the trees in Lowes, I found that the leaves at the bottom of the trees are the same as mine, very crispy. But the leaves at the top of the trees are not shriveled as mine since Lowes keeps the trees in the green house. I think my area is too hot for the tree.

Here is a link that might be useful: black tulip magnolia

The USDA hardiness zones just address average low temperatures, not overall climate conditions - to find out if your area is suitable for this type of magnolia look at the information from Sunset.

Sounds like your tree got dried out, or it came out of the shade and then burned due to a change in exposure. Otherwise it might have been burned by dry winds.

Big box plant departments in my area are terrible about keeping stock trapped there watered, if you are seeing similar damage at the outlet to what you have it again may indicate your specimen got away from you one day. Leaving it in the pot is not the best way to fight with heat and drought, plants in pots are much more vulnerable to such conditions than are ones planted in the ground.

Definitely be sure the sun does not beat on the pot and cook the roots. If you are not going to grow the tree in the ground then moving it up into a larger container should be undertaken before the summer drags on much longer.

This post was edited by bboy on Fri, Jul 18, 14 at 14:44