Sherry, no 'expert' here, but I do grow lots of brugs. My climate is more friendly towards them than yours, mainly because of the humidity, I'd guess. Mine keep their leaves and bloom all year 'round unless we get really cold weather.
Main points, brugs are heavy feeders and like rich soil and lots of water. Moisture-retentive potting soil, for sure. They will grow to fill whatever size pot you put them in if they are healthy. So the ones I keep on my patio, I have to prune so they don't need re-potting once they're in the biggest pot I can handle.
In your hot, dry climate, I'd be inclined to try to give them only half a day of morning sun. The other thing I'd do, set up a micro-sprinkler head to water the pot every day and put a little T in the tubing, for a misting head, so not only will it get a good deep watering every day, it will get some added humidity.
My two big brugs in pots on the patio are shading a shelf unit of orchids at the moment. I have set them up with the mist heads clipped to the branches of the brugs so both they and the orchids get misted every day. May is our driest month, but we still have around 30% humidity on a really dry day.
Second and third pics show my watering system for my brugs. I have it on a timer, so even if I go away watering happens. Sorry, lousy pictures, it was raining . .,