How do other magnolias do there? The soil (and water) conditions may be as much of a problem as the exposure.

IN Bangkok the Michelia figo does well in full sun (our summers are also over 100F), but does best if it have afternoon shade. if it is in shade all day long then the growth wont be as compact.
Hope this helps.

I found Michelia Figos to be quite tempermento. What you can do is to leave the plant in the pot and move to the area where you want to plant it. If it thrives fine in that area in the pot, then you can try planting it there on the ground. Caution: Dry heat at 100F+ is different from humid heat at 100F+.

I am learning about dry heat. I moved to Arizona from the midwest a few years ago and am having to relearn everything I though I knew about gardening. Desert-Tropicals says it will do well here in light shade. Right now I have it in the spot where I want to plant it but an waiting to see how it does before I actually put it into the ground. I first had it in a spot where it got sun for a good part of the day but once it hit the 90s some of the leaves looked a little burned.