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I have a couple of test subjects in the yard this year. A waggie and a magnolia grandiflora '24 below'. Both were planted this spring.

All they got for protection was a poly box and 100 mini Christmas lights. The lights only warm the space an extra 5 degrees over ambient. The lights are on a 35/45 Thermocube.

My coldest low temperature has been -7.1F. Coldest high has been 4.8F.

Here are some pictures I took today.

Hi Tim,

your Mag and Waggie look good so far............didn't you have another Mag too? If so how does that one look? Keep the updates coming.

TimMAz6 wrote:Hi Tim,

your Mag and Waggie look good so far............didn't you have another Mag too? If so how does that one look? Keep the updates coming.

The other was an Edith Bogue which died in the previous winter. I am still blaming the Wilt Pruf for suffocating or doing something to kill it because I also lost a rhododendron and (2) mountain laurels which were sprayed with the Wilt Pruf. Incidentally, (2) rhodos look fine this winter unprotected.

The '24 below' replaced the Edith Bogue.

In Spring, I'm planting a 6' tall Brackens Brown Beauty that I had a nursery order for me.

Nice looking magnolia and waggie. I have 2 BBB I bought from Steins 2 years back and 2 little gems I bought from Florida.
I don't protect them with anything and they seem to pull through with only losing a few leaves...

last summer


the other day

little gem mag.

little gems in WI? The little gems around here were fried last winter which was the second warmest on record (low of 5F)........... Are you sure you have little gems? Is there more than one form of little gem? Bill has a couple 10' tall little gems.............I'm not sure how they look??

Oh yes they are little gems,I tried one 3 years ago and it's still doing well,the first winter I decided to bury it in leaves and wrap it in burlap,bad idea cause it lost all its leaves and took all summer to grow them back. I'll take some pictures and post them on here.....

Glenn,

I remember Stein's selling the BBB a few summers ago. They stopped selling them because I guess they were dying in our area and people wanted the refund/replacement. I'm trying to get a big BBB this spring and I'm going through hell finding a nursery to order me one in. Either they want to gouge me or they won't do it.

I might have to settle for a mail order, but I don't want to!

my local nursery has a TON of BBB. I got one for my life last summer and it is doing very well in the front yard. the prices are a bit high but I got a resonable size tree. I have seen alot more in the area priced higher for a few twigs. I'll take a pic tomm and post.

wxman,
Yeah I was wondering why Steins stopped selling them. I think they're nuts for offering free replacement/refund on their nursery stock up to 2 years. Iv'e been looking for some ever since with no luck either.
You might have to bite the bullit and buy one online,but then you'll end up with a stick with a couple leaves
The weather around here is really taking a turn for the worst

please post photos of the Little Gem. I need to swing by Bill's to see how they look.

Thanks for the update.
I think of Mags as being quite hardy, as they are down here.
Very impressive for the Waggie. Have you measured temperatures inside its box to know how cold it got?

Nice. I love magnolias . So many different varieties. They all seem to do well here for the most part unwrapped. A woman on the other side of town has a huge macrophylla, insanely huge and showy. I saw a beautiful tree in town yesterday while driving around (didn't have my camera, damnit!) It had huge long dark green glossy leaves with defined veins, and dried up spent flower bracts. It had all of it's leaves intact even in this cold weather and was at least two stories tall????I want to know what it is! I want one!!!

Sid, Mags are a sure thing for you there. (Here, too.) Feel free to pick and choose among varieties. I suspect it is long duration of cold which causes trouble for wxman, not brief cold like you and I get.

I just ordered a 15 gallon 'Edith Bogue' for pickup at my local nursery in April.

Woohoo!

Wowza A 15 gallon EB is a nice size! I didn't think the nurseries around here were accomidating like that.
Awesome score....

GlennKing wrote:Wowza A 15 gallon EB is a nice size! I didn't think the nurseries around here were accomidating like that.
Awesome score....

Yep, I got ahold of Steins corporate. They are ordering me one in with their first week of April delivery.

Love hitting Stein's in April, To bad the last few years they really don't carry to many exotics like they used too. If someone loves Sagos they sure have plenty of those LOL,and blood bananas