Check this old thread from May 19th for a pic of this tree two months ago http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/604517/ . Since then, it has kicked into high gear and added 5' of growth. The only leaves it had on May 19th were the bottom row. Definitely a strong grower!
Very impressive! Maybe I'll try some from seed next year as Sheffields still has some '05 in the cooler!
conifer50
What did you do? Anything special?
Nothing special--place in good soil, mulch, water, stand back.
Figures, the trees we fuss the least over do the best when in the right spot.
For me this species has been extremely drought sensitive. I forgot to water a 15' tall specimen for about a 2 week period in August and that was it! All she wrote...fried and died. I had similar results with a few other specimens also. Maybe our more constant summer heat played a part also. I hope you are better about watering than I am, or maybe yours is planted in a better spot than any of mine. Either way, I hope you get to enjoy the wonderfully fragrant flowers eventually! It's a very nice looking tree.
It's within spittin' distance of the hose kman, so it is watered regularly. It's neighbors are the water loving types, so it fits right in. And now that both you and Guy have me spooked about drought and the big leaf magnolias, I'll be watering them all thoroughly!
Yeah, I lost several in 2005. Breaks your heart, but you just can't water hundreds of trees unless you have a direct line to Lake Michigan. I plant them, water them until established, pray for rain, and then they pretty much have to get by on their own.
Guy S.
If you want a more drought tolerant big leafed Magnolia, then I'd recommend M. ashei or M. pyramidata. They have both been much more drought tolerant than most others I grow or have tried in the past. M. macrophylla and M. tripetala have also shown some drought resistence, but not as much as the first 2. M. obovata has been on the other end of drought tolerance for me(it's the least drought tolerant), like I already said.
