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bklyn magnolia ?
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Posted by dtaddonio z6 NYC (My Page) on Mon, Mar 27, 06 at 22:33
| I would love any suggestions for what type of magnolia to plant (and where to buy it) to plant in my small patch of soil in front of my brownstone that gets morning sun. I would like a magnolia that looks like a tree, not a bushy kind(so not Little Gem), but does not grow large. I imagine it will conform to the small footprint of soil, to keep itself small (true or not?). I see many, and there are so many types. Some are huge and others are graceful trees, but maybe only 6 feet high and not very (4') wide. What kind would those be?
Thanks, |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: bklyn magnolia ?
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| Magnolia Stellata I would think is your best bet. They are the most accessable nursery-wise as well. |
RE: bklyn magnolia ?
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| We have a Magnolia stellata (IDed by me after we moved in) in our Brooklyn townhouse backyard. Lovely tree, but really the flower show (going on now) lasts for 1 week and then it's all leaves and shade till the fall. The form is nice and slight, and the bark is interesting. The fall foliage is not spectacular. Also, these may be some of the Magnolia varieties that are prone to scale infestation in the Northeast. Ours has it and I have been trying for two years to treat it (soil drench, dormant oil, etc.) and it's been beating me (well let's see this year). The infestation produces sap dripping from the tree, with black fungus on leaves and ANTS. |
RE: bklyn magnolia ?
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| I agree with the last poster. I live out on Eastern L.I., and my magnolia stellata is the same thing -- a beautiful one-week-long show, then just a decent-looking shrub. The fall foliage also doesn't last long. Don't get me wrong: I love the shrub. But if I had limited space and could only choose one big thing, it wouldn't be magnolia stellata. |
RE: bklyn magnolia ?
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- Posted by jimshy z7 Brooklyn, NY (My Page) on
Fri, Apr 7, 06 at 14:24
| You could try one of the magnolia stellata hybrids, aka the "Little Girls" developed at the US arboretum -- "Jane", "Ann" and "Susan" are fairly easy to come by; they're a bit larger and have more pink tones than straight stellata. Breeders are working on yellow stellata hybrids, some of these are small, too. Also, there's a dwarf mag. x soulangiana, "Lilliputian" that doesn't get very tall, it's blooming right now in a 16" container on my balcony! Finally, consider sweetbay (mag. virginana) -- it'll eventually get taller than 6ft., but you can prune it, it's got great fragrance, the blooming season is June, and some varieties are almost evergreen in our area. Two places to find out more; Roslyn Nursery on LI, and Fairweather Gardens in NJ, both on the web. Magnolias rule! Jim |
RE: bklyn magnolia ?
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Thanks everyone for your advice. I did notice the Stellatas in the neighborhood, not looking so stellar after a week or so. I ended up buying a yellow x brooklynensis Yellow Bird magnolia. I planted it today. It's supposed to be 12' at maturity. It's 4 feet, and came shipped w/about 6 buds almost ready to bloom.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be happy. |
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