My Magnolia-tree..

[chico2]

is starting to open
Awww,I just love spring sooo much,it's like a rebirth

[Writing4Fun]

Oh, how pretty! Do they do better in shade or sunlight?

[chico2]

W4F,we've had this tree now for about 10yrs and it is in direct sunlight,from about 10am,until sundown...as is my whole backyard.
I keep it from growing huge,so it is about 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide,in the summer though,after blooming,it's just leaves.

[Prin]

Those are my favorite trees ever! You'll have to post more as it blooms and everything.

[meb999]

oooooooooooo, I love magnolias. I'm so jealous! I love that they bloom before their leaves come out -- it's neet to see just flowers on bark. Love-it!

[chico2]

Meb999,just buy a small bush and plant it,it virtually takes care of itself and grows really quick!

[Skryker]

They are spectacular! It's just too bad that the blooms don't last very long. I'm eagerly awaiting the lilacs, myself!

[Dogastrophe]

you're about three weeks ahead of Halifax. My magnolias are just starting to fatten up their buds.

[chico2]

Nova Scotia has had some pretty bad weather,right??at least this winter..
I too am watching my Lilacs every day,looks like a lot of blooms this year.
Then I have one lilac that was here when we bought the house and it never blooms

[Skryker]

My lilac is just putting out leaves, so I think you are ahead of me, too. How odd to have one that never blooms! I wonder if it is an exotic that needs special fertilizer or something like that.

I only got the lilac last year from our neighbours-there was a huge tree in the backyard years ago, but the previous owner of the house cut it back way too much and killed it. Probably on purpose-he wanted to pave the whole back yard over so he could park on it, but his wife wouldn't let him. The yard was completely bare 4 years ago-I've been slowly trying to rehabilitate it.

[meb999]

I loooove lilacs. I have 4 of them. My favorite is right under my kitchen window (actually it's HUGE so it basically covers my kitchen window!!) and when it's in bloom, I keep the window open and my whole kitchen smells like heaven!!!

Anyone ever notice that lilac seem to have a HUGE amount of flowers one year, then the next it's a little showing, then HUGE again -- all of mine are like bi-annual lilac. Luckily they're not all on the same schedule, so every year I always have at least one that's flowering like crazy

[badger]

Lilacs thrive on regular feeding, at the very least a good yearly composting, maybe this would explain the fluctuation in flowering. In my neighbourhood there are some enormous lilacs, probably decades old. They are never fed or deadheaded (impossible, given their height) or pruned, but still put on a good showing. I agree, the smell is divine. But I've never managed to keep the blossoms alive in the house for more than a day, even though I crush the stems, they just crash. Anyone have any idea why this is?

[chico2]

Badger,the same here,don't know why they crash
When I was a girl,I used to cut lilacs for my mom(growing wild)and they always lasted long on the kitchentable.
Right now I have a bouquet of,my Yellow flower bush(Forsythia???) it's really pretty and has lasted since easter.
I am a pretty good gardener,but really bad at remembering names of the plants,probably because of old(er)age
As far as Lilacs,I've been told you need to dead-head them and remove any shoots that come out.Last year my bushes were full of flowers,but I think there'll be less this year.

[badger]

Oh, you and me both on the names (forsythia is correct). My mother, a brilliant gardener, knows all the Latin names, showoff!

[chico2]

Badger,I buy perennials stick them in the ground and they grow,names,other than the common ones,Cone-Flowers,Blackeyed Susans,Hostas,Daisies pass by me ,but I have good reference books.
I have an extreemly annoying friend who also knows all the Latin names
To me,as long as they grow and bloom,I'll call them as I see them..ie,blue flower etc...

[glasslass]

I planted a "damn tree" in memory of my mom. When my parents first moved into their last home, the first tree that they planted was a Crepe Myrtle. Mom's name is Myrtle and she always joked the trees were named for her. Crepe Myrtles thrive in this valley. Hers was beautiful. People would stop their cars when it was in full bloom. A week before Pop died, Mom almost carried him out to see the tree. He said it was beautiful and he was glad he got to see it. Later that afternoon a friend visited and asked him how he was doing. He said, "I was doing just fine til she drug me out to see that damn tree!" Ever since, we called it "that damn tree". When Mom moved to our new home, she said that tree was the one thing she was really going to miss. After she died in November, we planted a damn tree in our new yard that has multiple trunks like hers and will be the same color. I can't wait til July for it to be in bloom.
Chico, Your Magnolia "Tulip" tree looks like it's going to be spectacular!

[chico2]

Glasslass,nice story:love: I have to look up what a Crepe Myrtle is,I have no idea
Today it's raining and I can practically watch everything come alive,I just love spring! Did I tell you that?

[chico2]

Well,here is magnolia in all it's glory.
Unfortunately,with the temp going down at times to -1C they have gotten brown around the edges:sad:

[Prin]

Still purty! Are magnolia trees expensive? I love them and it would be fun to have one too (but if they're really expensive, I'll just admire yours).

[glasslass]

So beautiful! Your tree seems to have more abundant blossoms than they get here. They must like a longer dormant period. Here, they bloom in February.

[chico2]

They are not expensive and grow really fast,the blooming-period is really short though,but then you have a nice green tree

[glasslass]

Originally Posted by chico2

Glasslass,nice story:love: I have to look up what a Crepe Myrtle is,I have no idea

The Crepe Myrtles are beginning to put on their show. This is for you, Chico!

[badger]

I've never heard of a crepe myrtle, must be a California thang. Gorgeous. I love flowering trees and the great pools of petals after the blooming is over.
When I opened this thread, I thought man, it's late for a magnolia to be blooming, must be a hybrid. Not!

[jesse's mommy]

Crepe Myrtles are gorgeous! I love them.

Just so you know, they are not just hot weather trees. We had them in Maryland and it would get pretty cold there. Here's the thing, if you do decide to get one in Canada I would suggest to spend the money and get one that is bigger instead of trying to grow a small one. This way it is stronger and will probably root faster than a baby tree. Make sure you plant it in the beginning of the season when it is starting to get warm so it has the entire summer to adjust to the ground and root itself. They like lots of light and you can pretty much plant them anywhere. It doesn't matter if it's planted in an area that gets lots of water or little water. We had one in Maryland that was planted in the corner of our yard that had tendencies to semi-flood when it rained, but then my parents have one that is planted in an area that does not hold water at all. They are absolutely gorgeous, very easy to maintain, and will last through cold winters.

[chico2]

Awww GlassLass they are beautiful,probably would not survive our winters though:sad: Thank's!

[blabster]

spring is coming ;-)

[cpietra16]

A- It's an old thread
B- You're obviously not from Quebec or Ontario