Southern Magnolia questions

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Jova
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Southern Magnolia questions

Post by Jova » Wed Apr 21, 2010 11:50 pm

I just got back from a vacation in Virginia beach and brought back a nice 4 foot southern magnolia (unsure of the exact type) that I picked up at Home Depot for $25. On the tag, it says it's good to -10f. My issue is that I'm torn on where I should plant this. After seeing the huge southern magnolias in Virginia over the past few days, I love the idea of having a large one in my yard, even though I know it would take years for it to get that size, but I'm in my 20's and live on a family farm and will probably be living here the rest of my life. So... if I planted it out away from the house in a spot to give it enough room to get large, and protected it for the first few years, is it possible that it would survive and grow into a large tree? Or should I just plant it in a flower bed close to the house on the south side, with the idea that it's not going to get very big because of the zone 6a climate? As far as the climate here goes, most winters the lows max out right around the 0f range, but in some years, we do have nights that drop into the -10f (and sometimes lower) range. Any input is appreciated. Thanks!



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hardyjim
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Post by hardyjim » Thu Apr 22, 2010 8:24 am

N/M
Last edited by hardyjim on Tue May 04, 2010 6:55 am, edited 2 times in total.
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hardyjim
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Post by hardyjim » Thu Apr 22, 2010 8:24 am

I used to see them a lot in St.Louis when I lived there.
The largest ones I saw there(south side of houses)were in the 20'-30' range tops.
Maybe in time(probably a long time)it would become a large tree.
Most of the ones I saw in St.Louis that were nice were in favorable micro climates
(as in),south side of brick homes etc,I think the south side of your house would be the BEST location
for it,anywhere else it would probably just survive and it will survive,I think
your zone is probably very similar to StL,eeh?
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ROBRETI
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Post by ROBRETI » Thu Apr 22, 2010 8:40 am

I agree with Hardy Jim. Also, try to keep it wet in order to help it keep the leaves. I think it will recover even after a complete leaf loss. Knowing the variety would be a great advantage, because there are extremely cold hardy ones (Edith Bogue, Brackens Brown Beauty, etc); 0 F would be a "balmy spring" to them :-)

Go for it and pleeeease, send us picks, ok?
Rob

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TerdalFarm
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Post by TerdalFarm » Thu Apr 22, 2010 3:52 pm

I can't resist gloating as they are considered safe here, now (post global warming).
However, even down here we only plant the cold-hardy varieties mentioned above, so be sure to at least do that much. --Erik

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Post by lucky1 » Thu Apr 22, 2010 4:22 pm

I know this Star Magnolia doesn't begin to compare with southern magnolias...but it's blooming!
Fragrance is heaven, probably because it's been so dry.
Image

Jova, post some pics when you've got it in the ground please.
Barb
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Jova
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Post by Jova » Mon May 03, 2010 11:29 pm

Jim; climate here is pretty comparable to St. Louis... still haven't planted this tree yet. I've decided to plant it on the south side of the house, but the problem is that I've got so much other stuff on the south side that there isn't a space large enough to allow the 40 foot span that this tree is capable of reaching. Best I can do is about a 25 foot span, but in this climate, I'm guessing that the tree wouldn't get any bigger than that anyways:)

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Post by ROBRETI » Tue May 04, 2010 10:00 am

Hi Jova,

How about trying the "Little Gem" variety? It is a dwarf form; growing to a max of 6 m, which is a micro tree in Magnolia terms...
I just planted mine, it does not do anything, it likes waiting and measuring up the environment before taking any action. I'll post picks once my camera comes back to life. The sunny spot would be an excellent choice for your tree, though. The southern magnolia really needs it. Oh, the "Little Gem" will make you flowers at a very early age, I have one bud and the whole plant is about 30 cm tall (like 1 foot)....

Good luck, Jova!!!
Rob

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Jova
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Post by Jova » Fri May 28, 2010 8:54 pm

Here's a pic I snapped of the southern magnolia. It's been in the ground for 2 or 3 weeks now and already has over 6 inches of new growth. I can't believe how fast it's growing. I'm having to water it like crazy, even with it raining almost every day here, if we go a day with no rain, it looks sad by that afternoon until I water it, then it perks back up almost instantly. I just noticed a neighbor of mine down the street has a southern magnolia that's growing in his yard that is around 20 feet tall, so that gives me hope that mine will flourish here. Unsure of the cultivar, but I think this one is just the regular southern magnolia. I'd love to hear if anyone has any ideas of any specific cultivar by what can be told by the pic though.
Image

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Post by ROBRETI » Sat May 29, 2010 5:03 am

Hey Jova,


A very nice looking baby. Especially the top of it, were it started to grow liek crazy. Yes, it loves water, possibly you can never overwater it and it kindly pays it back by showing its vigorous growth rate.

I can not identify it unfortunately...... It is not Little Gem (darker smaller leaves, more compact growth) , and maybe it is not Edith Bogue (which has paler leaves). How hairy and dark are its leaf' bottom surface?

Rob

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hardyjim
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Post by hardyjim » Sat May 29, 2010 7:49 am

Looks like a good old Magnolia grandiflora to me,they certainly are beautiful trees.
My grand parents had one about 40-50' tall in Mississippi,we used to spend all day
climbing in it,it was the perfect climbing tree.
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BILL MA
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Post by BILL MA » Sat May 29, 2010 4:27 pm

If the leaves darken up underneath it's a DD Blanchard common in VA where you got it. Looks nice!

Bill

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Post by lucky1 » Mon May 31, 2010 2:22 pm

Very healthy looking specimen, Jova.
Great yard!
Barb
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