Magnolia grandiflora

[Kristl Walek]

Seed of Magnolia grandiflora, from as northern a location as I can find---can anyone help?

This is in my role as committee member to grow a few specimens for the town of Annapolis Royal to add to their future "Magnolia Captial" designation. So only looking for a few seeds. There is not a single plant of the common M. grandiflora in town--and I do think a seed grown specimen might make it in this climate.

I have hunted high and low the past year for seed of some of the rarer species (for the same cause) with no luck---a few I have recently found commercially and all were tucked in their germination bags immediately. I am crossing my fingers.

[David Sellars]

Kristl:

Our Magnolia grandiflora flowers all summer so we have seed at different stages.  I recall your mantra is "know your seed"  but I have never paid much attention to the seeds of this tree.  The picture below is of one seed cluster that is brownish green in colour - the others are totally green.  I could send you this cluster or wait for others to ripen more.  Let me know.

We have had this tree for about 20 years and it has withstood some cold winters (down to - 17C).  However, the evergreen leaves are large and paddle shaped and tend to collect dollops of heavy wet snow.  As the tree is quite brittle,  many branches break in snowy winters.  I would imagine that you would have similar winter conditions in Nova Scotia.

We also have green fruit on the Davidia involucrata if that is of interest.

[Kristl Walek]

David,
Thank you so much---but can you let another pod get to a more advanced stage where the pod actually splits and exposes visible red seed inside. Even then, allow the majority of the seed compartments to complete their opening (the seed will usually not fall out). You can then simply pop the red seeds out ---putting these in a small zip lock bag will keep them moist in transit.

I have always loved Davidia---and although I know takes up to 2 years for germination to complete, the process is thrilling to a seed person. Although I have no direct experience with it, I believe the fruits would need to be brown (or falling?) before the seed inside is ripe.

Let me know if I can send you anything in thanks (gardensnorth.com)

Kristl Walek
PO Box 370
Annapolis Royal, NS
B0S 1A0

[David Sellars]

Kristl:

We have not noticed the pods breaking open in previous years but maybe it happens on a dark wet night in December.  We will keep a look out this year!

[Martinr]

Kristl:

We have not noticed the pods breaking open in previous years but maybe it happens on a dark wet night in December.  We will keep a look out this year!

You may have to stand guard with a shotgun! I've been watching grey squirrels gradually strip all the unripe pods off our ver large Magnolia stellata this week

[John85]

hello
Are you sure it is worth trying them inZ6? here in Z8b they are fine and are grown as streets trees but when I lived in Z7a they were damaged so much by cold winds that you had to protect them with fleece.Easy as long as the plant is small.But later.....Even here they do not make viable seeds every year but perhaps there is a better clone.
John (gardening in Mid West France)
                                                                                                         

[Kristl Walek]

Are you sure it is worth trying them inZ6? here in Z8b they are fine and are grown as streets trees but when I lived in Z7a they were damaged so much by cold winds that you had to protect them with fleece.Easy as long as the plant is small.But later.....Even here they do not make viable seeds every year but perhaps there is a better clone.        

Thank you for your comments, John.
Aaron, one of our forum members sent me seed from a 80 year old clone in Tennessee that he says has " once withstood -31C and several times -23C or lower." Also, as I know from experience, growing marginal species from seed derived from hardy clones is the trick with woody species.

I am sure that is why my Magnolia tripetala and others survived without any damage in my old Ontario garden, which saw cold down to -40C while the plants were still infants, and then, more normally -25 to -30C after global warming set in.

[Garden Prince]

Seedlings and young plants of Davidia can be damaged by frost (freeze back) especially if they are growing (too)quickly. Generally speaking: how older the plant the better it can cope with cold weather.

[Onion]

Same experience tell me a fried from a 6b zone. He has a cultivar from Magnolia grandiflora (not sure 'Elizabeth') that survived - 25 degree Celsius in a pot outdoor. Only the tips of the foliage where brown in spring. Lost the foliage complete in spring. But build new one till mid of June.
So I think it is possible to have seedlings survied in the climate of Kristel.

[John85]

Hello Kristi
-23C and more that is good news!I am sure not all nursery men are aware of that otherwise THAT form should be more widely available.There are not that many evergreen broadleaved trees.Do you have other good surprises like that?I am looking for a hardy form of the chilean fire bush(embothrium coccineum).Norquinco is said to be the hardiest but I have heard different comments about it.