Beautiful. Are they evergreen?

No, they are not evergreen; the only two native magnolias that are evergreen are Magnolia grandiflora and Magnolia virginiana.

i can't tell you how much both look strangely like avocado trees.

on a whim a couple of months ago, one of my coworkers put a haas avocado pit in a planter with a few other assorted plants cobbled together from here and there, and it sprouted a couple of weeks back. it's currently ~ 2 foot tall and, well, it looks very similar - leaves a bit more green and less rigid looking.

Esh, thanks for sharing. There were quite a few in the woods where I used to live but I never saw them bloom. Do they smell like grandiflora?

Yes, the M. macrophylla (the biggest one) smells like grandiflora, but for some reason the M. tripetala is a bit stinky (and noted as such in resources - I confirmed it!).

Satellitehead, the plant that looks most like avocado to me is the native Paw Paw (Asimina triloba). I have several of those and people always ask if it is avocado.

I planted 'Magnolia ashei' last year. How long did it take for yours to bloom? What are the growing conditions? Mine is still very small.

The blooming one is in full sun (6+ hours). It's been planted there since 2004 and was probably waist high then. By the way, I have taller (older) ones next to it and they didn't bloom this year.

Luckily for you, Magnolia ashei is supposed to bloom at a younger age than M. macrophylla - one source saying it may bloom when it is only 3 feet tall. I have a M. ashei too, it's about 4 feet tall and no blooms, but it is in a slightly shadier condition and it's only been then since 2005 or maybe even 2006. Oh and the deer ate the terminal bud in the winter of 2006, setting it back a little.

Ed, gorgeous photos, sir. You might have to update the pictures of your home. Bet if I were driving by your home in Atlanta I would recognize it... prettiest one around.

Before I retired in '96, my home in Neptune Beach, Florida had two huge magnolia trees in the back yard. When I first moved there I was very excited about them. These were evergreens and had big ole pretty flowers on them. Then the pedals fell off leaving the ball and then they would fall off and played heck on the lawn mower too. They shed leaves year round so it was a constant battle. Would love to have a couple more up here in Georgia - just not in my yard... lol

Send rain to Shot - Cadwell, Ga.

Mine maybe in too much shade. I may move it this week to get a more sun. I bought my magnolia from Shady Gardens (ebay) located in Pine Mountain, Ga.

BTW, I'm jealous...I want my magnolia to look as beautiful as yours.

I saw this magnolia a the Birmingham Botanical Gardens this past Sunday. The tree was HUGE as were the leaves.

Cool! It does take some maturity for the trees to get the biggest possible leaves. A group of them makes for a beautiful view when you look up at the sky through their leaves.

I hope yours does well, sharon.