Nice work. I'm charging up my vote power, so expect one from me in the future for this post.
Did you check the temperature of the soil interior temperature on the tree that is fading? Can use your finger, or a thermometer.
I ask because, I noticed most of my trees in small plastic pots were getting cooked by the steamy hot soil. The sun was heating up the plastic pots a lot more than the clay pots were. Shade was the best solution for me.
You can also do a scratch test, to make sure the branch is still green and alive.
Keep up the great work. Seeing the azalea making that many vigorous new cuttings is very encouraging.
Thanks for the reply. The black pots do get pretty hot in the sun... At this point i need to move it into the shade regardless; it has no green left on it. I've had a few trees come back from the dead, so I don't give up easily on them.
I'm probably going to get some shade cloth set up for all the tress for the remainder of the summer.