In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote:
On 01/04/15 23:55, wrote:
On Tue, 31 Mar 2015 17:15:17 +0100, "Bob Hobden"
wrote:

Drove over to Wakehurst to look at the Magnolias and spring flowers, photos
at...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhob...7651263189080/

Nice. I love Magnolias, have tried to grow them here but the frosts
get the better of them.

The flowers or the plants themselves? There are late spring or
summer-flowering ones which could be OK for you, depending on where you
are. Quite a few are hardy down to USA Zone 4 or 5.

The problem here is our very maritime climate, with spring being
a mixture of warm and cold spells. The usual problem with such
flowers is that they come out of bud in a warm spell, only to be
caught by a cold spell or sharp frost. That is much less of a
problem in continental climates, like those in the USA.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.