Newbie needs help with garden just acquired

I'd be grateful if someone could identify from these pictures I've just taken of
the shrub and its leaf.
It's a pleasant but uneveventful looking orb of about 5 feet in diameter. I'd
like to cut it back into a smaller sphere but don't know what is acceptable (or
when it should be done). Perhaps it produces flowers and I should wait?

help most appreciated.

http://www.geocities.com/quooriosity/whatsthis

http://www.geocities.com/quooriosity/leaf

On 7/8/04 10:14 am, in article ,
"curiosity" [email protected] wrote:

Newbie needs help with garden just acquired

I'd be grateful if someone could identify from these pictures I've just taken
of
the shrub and its leaf.
It's a pleasant but uneveventful looking orb of about 5 feet in diameter. I'd
like to cut it back into a smaller sphere but don't know what is acceptable
(or
when it should be done). Perhaps it produces flowers and I should wait?

help most appreciated.

Wait is my husband's advice. It *could* be a spring flowering plant, such
as a Magnolia, so it's best left alone until it flowers.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

"curiosity" [email protected] wrote in message
...
Newbie needs help with garden just acquired

I'd be grateful if someone could identify from these pictures I've just
taken of
the shrub and its leaf.
It's a pleasant but uneveventful looking orb of about 5 feet in diameter.
I'd
like to cut it back into a smaller sphere but don't know what is
acceptable (or
when it should be done). Perhaps it produces flowers and I should wait?

help most appreciated.

http://www.geocities.com/quooriosity/whatsthis

http://www.geocities.com/quooriosity/leaf
Looks like a nasty old laurel to me.

curiosity [email protected] wrote in message
...
Newbie needs help with garden just acquired

I'd be grateful if someone could identify from these pictures I've just
taken of
the shrub and its leaf.
It's a pleasant but uneveventful looking orb of about 5 feet in diameter.
I'd
like to cut it back into a smaller sphere but don't know what is
acceptable (or
when it should be done). Perhaps it produces flowers and I should wait?

help most appreciated.

http://www.geocities.com/quooriosity/whatsthis

http://www.geocities.com/quooriosity/leaf

Hi Curiosity,
It looks very like a Pittosporum to me, possibly tenuifolium sp.
I don't know the ideal pruning time, sorry. It does have *tiny* flowers,
but they're not really showy in most Pittosporums. (P. tobira has good,
scented flowers, but is borderline hardy).
Perhaps someone else know when to prune Pittosporum?
Spider

In article , curiosity
writes
Newbie needs help with garden just acquired

I'd be grateful if someone could identify from these pictures I've just taken of
the shrub and its leaf.
It's a pleasant but uneveventful looking orb of about 5 feet in diameter. I'd
like to cut it back into a smaller sphere but don't know what is acceptable (or
when it should be done). Perhaps it produces flowers and I should wait?

help most appreciated.

http://www.geocities.com/quooriosity/whatsthis

http://www.geocities.com/quooriosity/leaf

Looks like a magnolia - if so, masses of large showy white flowers in
spring when there isn't much else around. Give it a full year to do its
stuff before you attack it.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

In article , GOOD GOLLY MISS
mOLLY writes

"curiosity" [email protected] wrote in message
.. .
Newbie needs help with garden just acquired

I'd be grateful if someone could identify from these pictures I've just
taken of
the shrub and its leaf.
It's a pleasant but uneveventful looking orb of about 5 feet in diameter.
I'd
like to cut it back into a smaller sphere but don't know what is
acceptable (or
when it should be done). Perhaps it produces flowers and I should wait?

help most appreciated.

http://www.geocities.com/quooriosity/whatsthis

http://www.geocities.com/quooriosity/leaf
Looks like a nasty old laurel to me.


No, definitely not laurel unless something's gone *very* wrong with the
colours in that photo ;-)

Laurel has *dark* green shiny leaves with pointed tips and without the
gentle undulations shown in the photo.

--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

On Sat, 7 Aug 2004 13:51:53 +0100, "Spider" wrote:


curiosity [email protected] wrote in message
.. .
Newbie needs help with garden just acquired

I'd be grateful if someone could identify from these pictures I've just
taken of
the shrub and its leaf.
It's a pleasant but uneveventful looking orb of about 5 feet in diameter.
I'd
like to cut it back into a smaller sphere but don't know what is
acceptable (or
when it should be done). Perhaps it produces flowers and I should wait?

help most appreciated.

http://www.geocities.com/quooriosity/whatsthis

http://www.geocities.com/quooriosity/leaf

Hi Curiosity,
It looks very like a Pittosporum to me, possibly tenuifolium sp.
I don't know the ideal pruning time, sorry. It does have *tiny* flowers,
but they're not really showy in most Pittosporums. (P. tobira has good,
scented flowers, but is borderline hardy).
Perhaps someone else know when to prune Pittosporum?
Spider

many thanks Spider, I think you've got it. Oddly enough I had a pittosporum in
my last garden and now you mention it there is a striking family resemblance.
That was variegated and much smaller leaf but the same hearty untroubled
(slightly boring) plant.

On Sat, 7 Aug 2004 14:08:10 +0100, Kay wrote:

In article , GOOD GOLLY MISS
mOLLY writes

"curiosity" [email protected] wrote in message
. ..
Newbie needs help with garden just acquired

I'd be grateful if someone could identify from these pictures I've just
taken of
the shrub and its leaf.
It's a pleasant but uneveventful looking orb of about 5 feet in diameter.
I'd
like to cut it back into a smaller sphere but don't know what is
acceptable (or
when it should be done). Perhaps it produces flowers and I should wait?

help most appreciated.

http://www.geocities.com/quooriosity/whatsthis

http://www.geocities.com/quooriosity/leaf
Looks like a nasty old laurel to me.


No, definitely not laurel unless something's gone *very* wrong with the
colours in that photo ;-)

Laurel has *dark* green shiny leaves with pointed tips and without the
gentle undulations shown in the photo.

I think you're right on that Kay, I've got a bay laurel here - significantly
different and great in spagbol.

On 7/8/04 3:46 pm, in article ,
"curiosity" [email protected] wrote:

On Sat, 7 Aug 2004 13:51:53 +0100, "Spider"
wrote:

snip

Hi Curiosity,
It looks very like a Pittosporum to me, possibly tenuifolium sp.
I don't know the ideal pruning time, sorry. It does have *tiny* flowers,
but they're not really showy in most Pittosporums. (P. tobira has good,
scented flowers, but is borderline hardy).
Perhaps someone else know when to prune Pittosporum?
Spider

many thanks Spider, I think you've got it. Oddly enough I had a pittosporum
in
my last garden and now you mention it there is a striking family resemblance.
That was variegated and much smaller leaf but the same hearty untroubled
(slightly boring) plant.

Careful. That leaf looks much too big to be a Pittosporum - Magnolia is
more likely, even if not certain. Do leave it one full year before doing
any attacking.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

On Sat, 07 Aug 2004 18:46:35 +0100, Sacha
wrote:

On 7/8/04 3:46 pm, in article ,
"curiosity" [email protected] wrote:

On Sat, 7 Aug 2004 13:51:53 +0100, "Spider"
wrote:

snip

Hi Curiosity,
It looks very like a Pittosporum to me, possibly tenuifolium sp.
I don't know the ideal pruning time, sorry. It does have *tiny* flowers,
but they're not really showy in most Pittosporums. (P. tobira has good,
scented flowers, but is borderline hardy).
Perhaps someone else know when to prune Pittosporum?
Spider

many thanks Spider, I think you've got it. Oddly enough I had a pittosporum
in
my last garden and now you mention it there is a striking family resemblance.
That was variegated and much smaller leaf but the same hearty untroubled
(slightly boring) plant.

Careful. That leaf looks much too big to be a Pittosporum - Magnolia is
more likely, even if not certain. Do leave it one full year before doing
any attacking.

you've got me worried now, it is significantly larger than the pittosporum I
knew - on the other hand my 'leaf' picture is a close-up so the size may be
misperceived. I found this picture of P.tenuifolium

http://www.ccc.govt.nz/parks/TheEnvi...enuifolium.asp


It's the crinklyness of the leaves which I recognise here. Doesn't magnolia
have quite a flat leaf?

On 7/8/04 6:46 pm, in article ,
"Sacha" wrote:

On 7/8/04 3:46 pm, in article ,
"curiosity" [email protected] wrote:

On Sat, 7 Aug 2004 13:51:53 +0100, "Spider"
wrote:

snip

Hi Curiosity,
It looks very like a Pittosporum to me, possibly tenuifolium sp.
I don't know the ideal pruning time, sorry. It does have *tiny* flowers,
but they're not really showy in most Pittosporums. (P. tobira has good,
scented flowers, but is borderline hardy).
Perhaps someone else know when to prune Pittosporum?
Spider

many thanks Spider, I think you've got it. Oddly enough I had a pittosporum
in
my last garden and now you mention it there is a striking family resemblance.
That was variegated and much smaller leaf but the same hearty untroubled
(slightly boring) plant.

Careful. That leaf looks much too big to be a Pittosporum - Magnolia is
more likely, even if not certain. Do leave it one full year before doing
any attacking.

And to top my own post, I'm guessing a Magonolia stellata.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)
;-)

In article , curiosity
writes
you've got me worried now, it is significantly larger than the pittosporum I
knew - on the other hand my 'leaf' picture is a close-up so the size may be
misperceived. I found this picture of P.tenuifolium

http://www.ccc.govt.nz/parks/TheEnvi...e/PittosporumT
enuifolium.asp


It's the crinklyness of the leaves which I recognise here. Doesn't magnolia
have quite a flat leaf?


No, they have a gently wavy leaf like the photo - at least Magnolia
stellata does.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

"curiosity" [email protected] wrote in message
...
On Sat, 7 Aug 2004 13:51:53 +0100, "Spider"
wrote:

Hi Curiosity,
It looks very like a Pittosporum to me, possibly tenuifolium sp.
I don't know the ideal pruning time, sorry. It does have *tiny* flowers,
but they're not really showy in most Pittosporums. (P. tobira has good,
scented flowers, but is borderline hardy).
Perhaps someone else know when to prune Pittosporum?
Spider

many thanks Spider, I think you've got it. Oddly enough I had a
pittosporum in
my last garden and now you mention it there is a striking family
resemblance.
That was variegated and much smaller leaf but the same hearty untroubled
(slightly boring) plant.

Next time you see a pitto in flower go near it at night, nearly all are
highly scented, and of course they make great hedging plants! However I am
see a few more posts than I was and I note several people don't think its a
pitto at all, so best not treat it to a hair cut yet :~)

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)

On Sat, 07 Aug 2004 21:59:27 +0100, Sacha
wrote:

And to top my own post, I'm guessing a Magonolia stellata.

You are absolutely right Sacha - I've just had a look and it is not a
Pittosporum or anything remotely related It could easily be a hybrid
M. stellata and M. kobus as well (Magnolia x loebneri). The plant
looks as though it might have been quite heavily pruned in the past
year or so - if not it is M. stellata looking just a bit chunky and
utterly happy, if it has it is probably the larger growing M. x
loebneri and still obviously very happy.


Dave Poole
Torquay, Coastal South Devon UK
Winter min -2°C. Summer max 34°C.
Growing season: March - November

many thanks for all replies - even the mistakes are educational - for the
moment the statistics clearly favour a magnolia and I'm content to heed the
advice to caution until this can be confirmed. I gather pittosporum is an
evergreen so if the plant loses all it's leaves then it clearly wasn't one. (I
see magnolia can be either decid. or everg.)
I'll report back if I get a definitive pronouncement.