I bought a pomegranate tree as well. It got leaf burn being in the sun all day so I put it against a wall with afternoon shade and it is extremely happy there. I would say the shade will help the plant even with the heat of the day. I would wait to prune the dead limbs. I had some limbs with no leaves and when I moved the plant started to grow new leaves. There could still be some life left in them.

Don't prune it until January. In addition to the branches may not be dead, if they are dead they will provide still some shade.

Western afternoon shade is very helpful for a young plant.

You can park it a couple of feet away from the block walls. Organic mulch the surface to cut down on evaporative loss and keep roots cooler.

Transplant anytime...morning in the shade would be my preference for my comfort.

Don;t forget about it. June is the hardest month on trees and containers can dry out quickly with this temp, low humidity and high winds.

Thanks for the advice! I don't think I'll be able to forget about it now! I just hope it survives.

A follow up question... If we want/need to plant it in-ground later, is that too much moving around? Is there a particular amount of time it should have to adapt to the new pot before it moves again, or does that not matter? Ultimately it will be part of a full garden and it seems like it will do better if it's not bound to a pot. (I don't remember if it's a dwarf variety or not.) But we don't have a permanent spot for it yet since we are in the planning stages.

Sounds like it's making a good recovery. They're heat lovers so gentle transplanting won't really bother it. Just do it gently with little disturbance to the roots. I've planted them in the ground in mid summer just fine, as long as they get frequent water early on. Pomegranates are so fun, hopefully yours will settle in, grow and set fruit for you. Keep us posted! Happy gardening!

Thank you! I felt sick when I saw how dry it was, but it does seem to be recovering. We are moving it this evening, after getting the pot set up and watered. Hoping for some fruit in the next couple of years!