'Edith Bogue' Southern Magnolia Update: 3/4/19

This is an update post to my 'Edith Bogue' Southern Magnolia tree I planted last summer. Here in Indianapolis, Indiana in USDA Zone 5b the coldest temperature this winter has dipped to -13°F with winds howling at the time, winds at that coldest temp was taken at nearly 30-40 mph. (Note: only humans detect wind chill, not plants) The strong winds along with those cold temps burned one side of the tree facing the wind. While the other side not facing the wind had virtually no winter damage at all. As long as the temps in the winter do not get colder than -20°F the tree will survive and send new sprouts in the Spring. So on my tree, many leaves have burned or partially burned, but many are still unaffected as well. For anyone who has a Southern Magnolia in a northern climate, do not dig up or discard your tree if you see lots of brown on the tree before the next growing season. The new growth will form in the spring and push off all the dead foliage. Always wait until spring to determine if your tree is dead. There is a big 20' tall by 10' to 15' wide ish 'Edith Bogue' Southern Magnolia outside a local nursery here in Indianapolis. It has been in the ground for well over a decade. The tree there has experienced temps down to -25°F with winds blowing more than 30 mph during that time in the winter of 2014. Every single leaf on the tree burned. It most certainly looked dead. It wasn't dead though, just about every branch survived and sprouted leaves. The new sprouts pushed off all the dead leaves. By the end of the following summer, you wouldn't have even known it was damaged by the cold. It has done this at least a few other cold winters as well when temps dipped below -10°F.

Today is March 4. Indianapolis last night tied the record for the coldest temperature for this date. The record was set back in 1871. The low last night dipped down to 2°F. Sub-freezing highs and lows will continue until this weekend when highs are going to get into the mid 50s. Signs point to REAL Spring staying after this week. This month has literally been "March comes in like a Lion, and out like a Lamb."

NatureMan