doerrd,

I'm surprised and impressed! Magnolias are something I've admired down south. It would never have occurred to me to try them. Knowing they they required an acidic, moist environment, the opposite of what we usually have here took them out of consideration for me. Amending at planting is doable, but how do you keep them amended? It seems like over time the pH would revert to alkaline to some extent. Do you add holly tone or some acidic fertilizers? Or once they establish, do they just learn to deal with it? How often and how much do you have to water them in the summer? Out of curiosity, what's your soil pH, unamended?

We see threads once in a while from people wanting blueberries and what it always seems to come down to is they need to be kept potted and given acidic fertilizer., so this is fascinating!

Congrats on making the impossible possible and please share more of your secrets. Pics, too if you can! Thanks for the tips on the mail order nurseries. We've lost so many good, local nurseries that it's good to have more resources. I'm very glad you shared this with us.

Barb

Yes, please post some pics. As the saying goes, "Pics or it didn't happen!" I saw a blooming tree about a week ago near 32nd and Sheridan that I swore was a Magnolia. But then I thought, "No way, couldn't be!" So maybe it was.

How wonderful! I love Magnolias, and miss their heady scent from the days I lived in Texas!! Thanks for sharing your success and tips, and kudos to you for the extra work you do to make them happy here :) Would love to see pics as well, both in the growing season and your winter protection.

Marj

Last night, after reading this, I did some googling and read a couple of interesting articles about Magnolia sightings in Colorado and a person who has been growing and selling them here since 2007. Someone else shares your enthusiasm!

http://www.denverpost.com/lifestyles/ci_5587360

I saw two shrub-sized magnolias today near 64th and Sheridan. They looked kind of sparse. But the blooms are so lovely, it might be worth sparse.

I've noticed several magnolias in bloom recently. Here in Fort Collins area and also at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in the Springs. Either they are especially pretty this year or I am especially observant because in the past I haven't noticed many.

Hi everyone, I live in Colorado Springs and I have 4 magnolias on my property; Royal Star, saucer, black tulip, and Jane. My royal star is just finishing its spectacular display! My neighbor has a 40-50 year old saucer magnolia as well. If you stay vigilant you'll see a handful of magnolias around town.

What time of year is best to plant Magnolia trees? (We're also in Lousiville). Thanks!

Hi Sarah,

I think I'd try private messaging doerrd and Sans Man through Houzz and see if either of them are still active. I ran across a Royal Star Magnolia at Tractor Supply Company, of all places, in 2017 and bought it. It was early spring and it was already flowering. I kept it in an unheated garage for a while, but we got a cold spell that killed the flowers. I think I planted it in mid April. It survived the first year but died to the ground over winter. I had piled soil around its base that fall, in an effort to protect the crown but it wasn't enough. It tried to come back with a few shoots in spring of 2018, but weakly and died by summer of 2018. Those were drought years, with something like 7" or 8" of precip, which I'm sure contributed, even though I hand watered it.

I'm not in a position to offer advice since my only experience is in killing one, but I hate to see a post go unanswered. I hope someone with success chimes in!

I think a couple of factors are important. Since our 70 degree temp swings now seem to be more common, this will need to be planted at the optimum time. My impression is that Magnolias seem to take heat better than cold while establishing, so I'd suggest a late spring planting, very late April or early May. If I were to try again, I'd stack hay or straw bales, or bags of leaves or mulch around it to insulate it until truly warm weather arrives.

The second factor is where the plants come from. Many of us have mail ordered plants from different zones. You may receive a plant in spring that has already come out of dormancy, when we're still deep in winter. I think that's why mine didn't make it. You'd want to avoid that by requesting a very early shipping date to ensure the plant isn't actively growing when it arrives. Call the mail order nursery and explain that late May is our last freeze date and you must have a dormant plant shipped. Then you are faced with keeping the plant dormant but protected from severe cold until it warms up here. A way to avoid that is to buy from a local nursery in late spring. Since it's too late to plant here now, you can check with the nurseries in your area to see if they have any in stock or if they can order it in for spring delivery. They will be more inclined to order in for you if you are a regular customer.

I hope this helps and you don't mind some random thoughts from a magnolia killer!

Barb

Hello Sarah and Barb,

Louisville Gardner here. Sorry I didn’t get back to you, Sarah. As regards Magnolias, I have always planted mine in the spring, around the middle of May. Also in June or July. I just want them to get a good start in taking root. Make sure soil is acidic and mulch well. Plant in full sun or sun/part shade. And water well but don’t overwater. Especially in the winter when soil tends to dry out and when there is no snow. Problem here is the wind, again especially in the winter. With southern Magnolia grandiflora, leaves tend to dry out. Too much wind and too dry soil in winter could kill especially young trees. I know from experience. I have four Bracken’s Brown Beauty and tent the two bigger ones before winter sets in. Also still have three Magnolia Jane, one Magnolia Virginiana, one Magnolia Sunsation, one Magnolia Judy Zuk and one twelve foot yellow Magnolia Butterflies which flowers gloriously, although not always reliably, in the spring, unless blooms die because of late spring snow or frost. Although Colorado is not considered Magnolia country, even with our erratic weather patterns, with extra care and attention, they can be grown successfully. I might add that almost all of my Magnolia trees and bushes have been purchased through predominantly southern online plant nurseries, also one in New Jersey. Magnolia grandiflora are just not available here in Colorado.

thank you for your info. I’d like to plant one in my long,ont garden. Where do you buy your magnolias locally?

Longmont Colorado ⬆️

The only magnolia I have bought locally is a Magnolia ‘Sunsation’, which is not a southern Magnolia Grandiflora. It blooms in May with beautiful yellow flowers tinged with pink. That is if the buds are not killed by a late spring frost or snow storm. That tree was purchased several years ago at O’Toole‘s Nursery in Westminster, where they do carry magnolias but not the Grandifloras. The Grandifloras I have were all purchased online from Plant Me Green Nursery in Monticello, Florida and Wilson Bros Nursery in Georgia, also Rare Find Nursery in New Jersey. All are reliable, sell large, healthy nursery stock and have superb customer service. I’ve never had a complaint with any of them.

I'm getting one for Mother's Day, in Longmont. Super excited to know they grow so tall! Thanks for the post!

Interesting. I am in North Carolina right now, concluding (I hope I am right) that the beautiful blossoms I fell in love with on the Blue Ridge Parkway today are indeed Magnolias. So I looked up to see if these will grow in my home state of Colorado. I guess the answers is YES. Thank you, Henk, from Louisville Colorado. :-)

I lived in oklahoma for 36 years . im back here now in Westminster .

i told my husband tonight i want a Magnolia tree .

is there anyway we can see yours please.

Lindakess51@yahoo.com

A couple of pictures.

Purchased at online plant nursery Wilson Bros Gardens in Georgia. Also sold at Plant Me Green Nursery in Monticello, Florida. Name: Bracken’s Brown Beauty.

Hello..I have a magnolia tree that is well established but last year it was in bloom when we had a freak ice storm..I waited until a month ago and pruned it but it is not responding..I have a little bit of green growing from the base..what I pruned was dead..what can I do?

You don’t mention what kind of magnolia you have. Is it a Japanese Magnolia or a Magnolia Grandiflora? I’m thinking the former. I myself have lost magnolias to brutal winters but never Japanese magnolias, only grandifloras which are more susceptible, especially when exposed to dessicating winds. If you scratch the bark and see green underneath, as you know, your tree is still alive, maybe just not all of it. I start from the bottom and work up. If no green appears, it likely didn’t survive. You maybe will see a spindly green stem emerging from the soil so roots are still alive. But not worth the wait. One of my Bracken’s Brown Beauty trees lost all of its leaves during the winter but tree still had green trunk and some (but not all) green branches. I pruned out the dead growth. It survived and new leaves are now emerging. Your tree should definitely show new leaves budding out by now. If not, it might be time to accept its demise.

I am not sure of the type..it was here when we moved in 5 years ago. .it blooms late and has white flowers but doesn't have a lot of leaves. When I pruned it I got rid of the pieces that were hollow and disclored..it has a cluster of leaves growing at the base..so I don't think it is completely gone..it has a split at the base but it appears to be old. I love in colorado so I don't know if that is why it has always bloomed late. Thsnk you for responding

I love magnolias and had a row of 10 Royal Star Magnolias in my yard in Thornton (zone 5B). This last winter, coupled with the subsequent heat wave, killed every last one of them. My Jane Magnolia died back to the roots and is now coming back. Growing Magnolias in Colorado is not as easy as the other posters make it out to be. They require constant care and monitoring. I amended the soil and sited them well and covered them through winter and watered them as recommended and fertilized them with the right kind of fertilizer... but none of that was enough. Since I now have to redo my garden, I went in a completely different direction with the plants.

To BB, yes, you are correct in your assertion. It is a lot of work for magnolias to thrive in our erratic Colorado weather and while I too have lost magnolias over the years, it’s still worth the struggle. Because they are such beautiful flowers, especially the Southern Magnolias (Magnolia Grandiflora), I accept the challenge. Gardening in Colorado is a challenge any way you look at it.

R. Doerr

Hi doerrd, do you still check this? I’m in Louisville as well and about to welcome my baby girl we’re naming Magnolia into this world. I would really, really like to grow a Magnolia tree and if you’re willing, I would like to chat about any advice you would have to get started and to keep one alive (the tree, not the baby. Well if you have advice about baby I’d take that too).

where did you purchase them locally?

Hello Amber,

To my knowledge Southern Magnolias are not available locally. Those I now purchase exclusively from Wilson Brothers Gardens in Georgia. They are now my hands down favorite online plant nursery. Top notch, never a complaint. The Japanese Magnolias I have were purchased at O’Tooles Nursery in Westminster. Wilson Bros also sells a great variety of Japanese Magnolias. R. Doerr

I planted an Ann magnolia this summer that i got from fort collins nursery it was in a five gallon and a large plant supposedly hardy to zone 4. we shall see in the spring!

Hello Sam, Good luck with your Ann Magnolia. Since this is it’s first year in the ground in your yard, you might want to tent it tepee style with poles and burlap to give it a little extra care. Also, don’t forget to water it now and then when soil is dry and there is no snow on the ground.

R. Doerr

Thank you!

I just found a black tulip magnolia here in Colorado and fell in love. i didnt purchase it right away but my husband brought it home as a surprise to me. Im not sure where to plant it or how to amend the soil. can you describe what you have done?

Also how do you teepee it? Do you put poles and some kind of covering Over the poles? or Do you cover just the trunk? i have lots of burlap. Does it do better in full sun or mostly sun with part shade.

where did you find it?