Magnolias of the Orient
| March 23, 2011 | Posted by Andy under Latest gardening news |
Over the years the word Magnolia has come to have been associated with elegance, tranquillity and house paint. Today however we not interested in house paint, oh no- we are interested in talking about the magnificent Magnolia Trees of the Orient. We are going to give you some of our 3 favourite oriental Magnolias and a few fundamental tips for looking after them.
We wanted to start of with a bang, so the first magnolia that we are going to be looking at is Magnolia Yellow River, an elegant oriental Magnolia, the perfect specimen tree. This rare variety forms a natural dome shape with yellow buds appearing on bare branches. Magnolia Yellow River will erupt in late April and May with a sensational abundance of large, fragrant canary yellow, goblet-shaped, flowers up to 15cm across.
Magnolia Care Tip 1: Proper care starts with planting- Make sure you plant your Magnolia at the right time of year and, as with any tree, account for the fact that it is going to grow and spread. It would be an awkward conversation with the national grid if your tree was infringing upon their power lines!
The second Magnolia in our tasty trio is Fragrant Cloud Dan Xin. A new, rarely available variety with large, fragrant, tulip- shaped, magenta-rose and white flowers in April. Native to China, this plant was discovered by nursery worker Dan Xin. Magnolia denudata Fragrant Cloud Dan Xin is a compact shrub growing to 2 – 2.5 metres in 10 years, making it an ideal plant for the smaller garden.
Magnolia Care Tip 2: Once they are well established, Magnolias require very little maintenance; however, when they are juvenile they should be watered frequently to make sure they develop a strong root base. Be careful at the same time not to drown them as root rot can occur- the soil should be damp not soggy.
For our grand finale, we give to you Kobus. Kobus is an exotic tree introduced in 1865 from Japan and Korea with masses of stunning white flowers that are produced in March and April, sometimes with a touch of pink at the neck. A versatile Magnolia, this plant can thrive in most soils, even chalky ones. Elegant and robust, Kobus is sure to be a plant that will watch over your garden for years to come.
Magnolia Care Tip 3: During the first few years of growth you might want to prune your magnolia tree to encourage a specific shape or growth pattern. If you choose to cut your tree back, you should do so during the autumn or winter months when the tree is dormant to help prevent damage to the tree.
We hope you enjoyed our journey to the orient and remember- follow us on twitter so you can tweet in with your requests for Fridays plant review.
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