On 17/09/2010 18:28, Timothy Murphy wrote:
I just bought quite a large (2.5 metres tall)
Magnolia Grandiflora very cheaply (12.50 euro = £10)
from my favourite garden centre
(Murphy& Wood, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland)
and am wondering how to get it out of its large plastic container?

Water it well first, then put it on its side and whack the container all
round to loosen the pot from the compost. Then (as Sacha suggests) hold
it by its stem and tap the pot rim all round. If this does not work,
then just cut the container away. You won't regret your purchase -
there's nothing quite like Magnolia grandiflora in flower.

Four years ago I bought an unlabelled Magnolia grandiflora in a Wyevale
nursery plant sale. It was about 80 cm high with a couple of other
branches, and looked a bit sick as the compost was on the dry side in
its 20 cm pot. It was marked down to a fiver! I repotted it, watered it
well, protected it for a couple of winters in a greenhouse, and last
year put it in a 46 cm pot. This year it is about 1.5 m high, with at
least 6 side branches, and is about to open its fourth flower!

--

Jeff