Good bye, Mother's Day gift

In May I received an ocotillo for Mother's Day, by request.  Ds planted it in the front yard where I could see it from the front window.

It never grew leaves or did any ocotillo-y things.

In August I pulled it out and took it back to Lowe's.  That was pretty awkward and not very fun.  I chose a really nice looking ocotillo to replace it, one with a better root system and a nice, full shape.

The receipt says August 10 is the day I made the exchange.  Do you know how hot it was here on August 10?  I don't have access to the records, but it was over 100F every day from May through September, so you get the idea.  That nice root system meant I had a pretty decent hole to dig in our concrete-like soil in the front yard.

I watered it, I watched it, I really had high hopes.  Nothing happened to it.  So today I gave it a return trip to Lowe's too.

Rats.