anybody grows this lovely tree in Houston? What is your experience with it?
I have one planted in full sun and it gets scorched in the summer. I just bought another one and was thinking about planting in a shadier location to prevent scorching, but don't want to do that at the expense of losing flowering capability. thanks for your help.
Saucer Magnolia in Houston area
Neri, I have one on the north west side of my house and it does very well, also another one not under but close to a pecan tree, and it works fine too. This is the one on the north west side.
Josephine.
thanks Josephine. that's encouraging. I have space available on the NW and the NE sides of the house. I'm happy to hear this.
Everyone, WM, at least in my area, presently has lovely saucer magnolias for $16.99. that's where I got mine.
This message was edited Feb 24, 2007 9:19 AM
I don't have one myself but I have a neighbor who has had one for at least 10 years. Always so lovely in the spring. It's planted on the east side of her house and hasn't grown very tall in all of the years it's been planted. Beautiful, though. About 8' tall and probably 6' wide, if I had to guess. Receives full sun. The only downside, after it blooms, it loses all leaves. When the leaves do start budding out again, they're sparce. All in all, the plant is exquisite for about a month and a half. For at least half of the year, it's a bare shrub.
I really want one. I'll plant it in a grouping.
This message was edited Feb 25, 2007 1:49 AM
kristi, go to WM the have some nice ones now. As for the one your neighbor has, that is white mine does and that's why I was thinking about placing the newer one in a "not so full sun" location.
I have seen a saucer magnolia on FM 359 that gets a nice amount of leaves after it blooms and looks like a decent small tree until late fall when it all leaves drop. I guess I should stop there and ask what they do.
My magnolias have beautiful shiney leaves after the flowers, and the leaves last till Fall, maybe you are talking about a different variety. Mine is Magnolia soulangeana , http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/2452/index.html
I hope that helps if there is a confusion .
Josephine.
josephine, I'm talking about the same one shown on your link. Maybe the main problem is the heat. I have seen this plant online shown as hardy to z8; I'm in z9. But there are any people that have them here and they behave like yours (better microclimate, maybe?). I'm nowhere near giving up on this one--too pretty.
Josephine, have you tried propagating from the woody stem? I have a neighbor that has one and can get a cutting from her. What time of the year would be best for that?
Sheila, Spring and Summer are best, when there is active growth. Take a cutting 4 to 6 inches long from the tip of a branch, remove the lower leaves and leave two or three leaves on the cutting. Since the leaves are big you might want to cut them in half crosswise with scissors so it will fit in your bottle greenhouse.
Josephine.
Thanks Josephine, I will give it a try.