I have it in full sun but I wish I didn't bec it doesn't seem to do as well as It could. I'm not sure if it's a sun issue or a soil issue though. It's loves acidic soil and I'm not consistent in giving it coffee grounds like I should. Nonetheless, it does flower regularly for me.

I'll give it coffee grounds, thanks! I'm going to keep it in a pot for now and see how the branches handle the wind over the summer. I really want to move it to the other location though it's full sun and less wind. What do you mean by it didn't seem to do as well as it could? Not enough growth, not flowering enough, leaves burning?

Mine isn't the dwarf, but it the full size tree which is about 30 ft. It is in full sun. It gets water two times a week and fertilizer two to three times a year. There is a lot of leaf drop in the spring sheading the old leaves for the new growth.

Halfway, How fun and what a cute tree! I bet it smells incredible.... I've never seen (smelled) one in person. I've been looking around to buy one. Did you purchase yours online, or locally?

Thanks!
Carol in Jacksonville

Halfway, mine is only about 7 ft after many years. The leaves don't burn but it should be a lot taller like Katkin's (Hi Katkin). Where ever you put it, make sure it's near a sitting area bec the smell is heavenly.

Hi Trini, good to see you are still here. Hugs.

Thanks so much for all of the responses! I will definitely move it to the full sun location now that I hear it's doing OK in your zones. I'm going to dig deep and wide and put some good soil in there. 30 ft, wow. Carol, they are sold everywhere down here. I priced it at a few nurseries. For the same size plant.....$100 at Bah's, $175 at Florida Nursery Mart, $199 at Flamingo Rd Nursery, yikes! I finally found it for $75 at a commercial nursery that is only open to the public on weekends. I honestly don't even know the name of it but he called me back from the # on his craigslist ads. He advertises like crazy on there. Some ads have his #, some don't. I got the last one but he'll prob get more. Here is the ad. The # is 954-646-2730.
http://miami.craigslist.org/brw/grq/4993748436.html

Halfwaythere, thank you so much for the info and the link. It's a little too far from Jacksonville for me, but I'll keep watching Craigslist, too.

Carol

Just to be sure everyone understood, there are two, one is a dwarf and the other a full size tree like mine, which will get to around 30 in time. I have kept it pruned so it is more narrow then most since I really love trees and crowd too many together. The dwarf doesn't get nearly so big. :o)

I had no idea there was a dwarf. Can you tell which one mine is?

No, I wouldn't know how to tell, maybe ask where you bought it.

hi Katkin, Trini and everyone! I agree the fragrance was awesome! I had the full size one at my old house and it definitely loved zone 10 cause it was huge in no time!!! I wouldn't do a full size one again but a dwarf....!!! Now I ll have to investigate this further!

Hi Wanna run, I was told buy the vendor that the dwarf wasn't as fragrant as the full size tree, that is why I got the big one. But I don't know if that is true, so you should check it out for sure.

Mine has been in the ground for at least 10 years from a 7-gallon can. It's underneath a huge Rubber tree and gets only afternoon sun, but it blooms most of the year. About 14' tall.

The white one is the hybrid from M. champaca - Michelia x alba - white flowers. I also recently planted a M. champaca - yellow flowers - on the west side of the garden from a 3-gallon size. Again, it will only get afternoon sun. You can, however, plant either one in full sun in zone 10, but it will take a long time to adapt if it comes from a shady location such as a nursery.

As far as a dwarf variety goes, I'm not convinced it exists. It may just be a full-size tree that's stunted for some reason, although it's possible.

Hi Wanna. Yeah I've never heard of a dwarf either. Unless he's talking about Cananga fruticosa-the dwarf Ylang Ylang tree which fits his description.

Here is my tree in ground about 6 years. The tree behind it is the climbing Ylang Ylang (Artobotrys).

It's going in the ground tomorrow, full South Florida sun. Wish me luck!

Sorry for the confusion I caused, I was only repeating what I was told by the nursery I bought my tree at. We drove down to a very big nursery in S Fl one year and they showed me two trees, saying the one was a dwarf and the other the full size tree. They had rows of both trees. I suppose they could have been mistaken.

Here she is in her forever spot, I hope :) I noticed as we put it in the ground, a new mealy bug infestation. I know it's from my yard as I inspected the tree before I took it home and I have been battling those suckers for weeks on a mature triple Robelinii nearby. Do you think I should treat it right away or wait until the tree is established somewhat.

Don't use chemicals, but take a hose and wash it off.

HWT, I'm so glad you posted an update! I always love seeing how things "turned out". That tree looks so healthy! I ended up getting one, too, last year. I put it in the ground early this spring. I'm hoping it will reach the heights of yours, but Old Man Winter may see differently. Time will tell. :)

Carol in Jacksonville

Hello, Carol love the yard!

I am also a Michelia Alba fan, crazy for her intoxication fragrance. I am also located in zone 9a, central Florida, but failed a couple times cultivating her, killed by chillness in the winter. You are actually even further north than me. What is your secrete?

Carl

Mine is in semi-protected area (that results in not enough full sun as the plant would like) but I think the real "secret" is climate change. After reliably having about three hard freezes (8 hours or longer) every winter, we have had no hard freeze for the past three winters. This spring, I have had gardens like Orlando and Tampa - first time, ever! I used to start every April with a yard full of cooked spinach - all the tropicals frozen back to the roots. Not the past two years... I have variegated shell ginger blooming in the yard, for goodness sake. I never even moved the adenium from their full-sun location way out in the back yard. I had to really get after a lot of things with the loppers and cut them back... plants that in earlier times would have been frozen back to the ground. My M.A. is about 6' tall right now. It was taller when I first purchased it - at one point, it froze back almost to the ground.

Updated link (prior link no longer works): My Purchase

Good morning Carol!

Thank you for your warm response, which is the same element survives your MA!

And I am comforted to hear the very few positive effects of the climate change.

I am a gardening fan too, trying growing all kinds of fruit trees, exotics flowers, with lots of lucks and fails.

I am sharing with you a few pictures telling my successful stories, not the other side.

Enjoy your garden!

Carl 5.14.20

Hello, Carol!

I just wonder if I can buy a few Michelia Alba cuttings from you?

And I have quite few fruit tree cuttings for trade, if you prefer.

The picture is Saijo Persimmon, the rare, highly valued, arguably sweetest persimmon

.

Thank you!

Carl 5.15.20

@HU-595166974, Carl, I stopped by the Beach Boulevard Flea Market today and the same lady in the same location is still selling Michelia Alba plants. She had five or six of them. She doesn't speak much English (and I don't speak her language), so I didn't get the price. (Nothing at this flea market ever has a price on it.) If you are so inclined to make a drive to Jacksonville on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, this is where you can get one.

Here is a correctly-oriented map of the flea market (north is at the top of the map). Her area is located on the far west end of "S Row" (South Row). In other words, the front left corner as you face the flea market with Beach Blvd at your back. Here's a link to the flea market website and the map:

Beach Blvd Flea Market

Carol in Jacksonville

Hi Carol, have you stopped lately there? I'm on Orlando and wanted to see if she is still selling. Thank you!!

Due to COVID-19, I haven't been there in at least a year. I'm so sorry. :(

EDIT: I guess it hasn't been a year. I looked at my last post and it says 8 months ago. That was the last time I was there.