Quote:
Originally Posted by Julian200
Hi, I have a Magnolia grandiflora I planted some years ago, it grows well in the summer, but looses all its leaves in the winter and the stem dies back almost to the ground because of the cold winters here in mid-Wales. Can I grow it up the wall of the house for shelter or will it get too big or damage the house foundations? and is it ever likely to flower in this climate? Alternatively, would planting it in a sheltered wooded area be any good or should I give up trying to grow this plant completely?
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In Britain it's normal to grow M Grandiflora up against a wall. I've seen many plants in flower in Britain. But this is a plant with a great many varieties and forms, and some are said to be OK for growing in the open even in Britain. And I have seen them in the open in Gloucestershire. Whether this remains true in mid-Wales, I can't say. Naturally it grows in shady woodlands, but its natural range is the SE USA, where the light is a lot brighter than Britain. I have seen it growing in arboreta in Sussex, but they still get a lot of sun because the trees were well spread out in that area. In general magnolias don't like any root disturbance, so digging it up maybe just what it needs to kill it off. Obviously it isn't going to flower if it has to spend each year regenerating its dead leaves.