'Edith Bogue' Soutern Magnolia Update: 9/11/18

My 'Edith Bogue' Southern Magnolia has grown wonderfully! It has gained over 2 feet in the past several months. I planted it back in early May. The tree was about a little over 3 foot tall. When in the pot it was just under 5 foot. (Don't always take into account the size once it's planted 😂). Now we are in September it has pretty much stopped growing except the leaves that have already emerged are getting bigger slightly. It has been from 90°F for highs to 60°F for highs in nearly a 2 week time. We had several days in the 90s then highs in the 60s and 70s. This I believe stunted the growth after having consistent temps in the upper 80s and 90s everyday, to well, the transition from summer to fall. Hot days to cool days back to hot days. September in Indiana is what I call a transition month. You will still see hot August like heat at times, and you will also see October or even November like temps all in the same month. Even when plants appear to not be growing. They are not necessarily dormant. When a plant is on a cycle of having certain weather for a long time the plant acclimates to those conditions. When there is a sudden shift in climate this can shock the plant. Rarely if ever harms it, it just stunts it's growth. Which is why in late summer or early Fall before plants go dormant from cold weather they usually either significantly slow growth or slow so much they appear to not be growing. This is very normal and is just apart of a plant's natural cycle. So back to my tree, it stunted growth a couple weeks ago, probably around late August or so when it start going from really hot and dry to hot and mild with more rain. Now all the 90s are over and temps have been steady between 70°F-80°F for highs and lows between 50°F-65°F instead of 65°F-75°F. I think it is done growing new leaves for the year, but the younger leaves still have some expanding and stiffening to do before the tree actually goes dormant. It is now almost as tall as me and I am slightly over 5' 10" tall.

It has performed so well this summer! I did heavy mulching around the trunk for better water retention to help from transplanting, and to have winter protection this winter. I have been soaking the base with a hose 1-2 times per week in the hottest parts of the summer. Once established watering it is not necessary, even in drought. I will not be giving it any winter protection besides the excessive mulching around the base for it's first year only. Once it establishes I will do normal mulching and leave mulch away from the trunk to prevent Volcano mulching which can kill trees. I won't talk about that in this post though. 

I hope y'all found this post interesting and or useful! Feel free to leave any questions or comments if you have any. Thanks! 🌱🌳

NatureMan

Dwarf Ginkgo Varieties

Most have heard of the infamous Ginkgo Biloba tree, with it's unique shaped foliage, and stunning fall color. No one can resist getting one for their landscape! But most people don't know is that there are dwarf varieties out there. You get the unique foliage, and fall color compacted into a shrub or small tree!

"Jade Butterfly" Ginkgo

Mature Size: 12'-15' tall and 10' wide

"Mariken" Ginkgo

Mature Size: Shrub form: 2'-3' tall and 2'-3' wide
Standard: (Standard is the Dwarf version grafted onto the trunk of a regular Ginkgo rootstock.) Mature Size: 4'-5' tall and 2'-3' wide

                Traditional Ginkgo Trees

                       "Jade Butterfly" Ginkgo

                         

                        "Mariken" Ginkgo

               

                   Standard "Mariken" Ginkgo

                         

MOST Cold Hardy Broadleaf Evergreens

This post is a link to a video I made. Check it out! 🌿

https://youtube.com/watch?v=VDK4plW4igw&t=9s



NatureMan

My Private Plant Growing Station

I have been growing and experimenting with plants for a while. I have an outdoor area on the side of my house where I grow and experiment with perennials, trees, and shrubs. Sometimes I buy them, and sometimes I propagate them mostly by cuttings or digging them up from the wild. I rarely do seeds, but sometimes I do. In the winter even the most cold hardy plants can not survive in pots. When plants are above ground the cold wind burns the roots and kills the plant. So either each and every pot needs extreme protection and some kind of heater, or put them in a greenhouse or cool garage. I use a special storage shelf in my garage. Their is a major problem with that though. I have a heated garage. So it is room temperature in my garage. It is extremely difficult to keep my plants dormant for a long enough time. Last winter I was only able to keep them dormant for maybe about 3 months or so. Most have survived and are still thriving. What I do to keep them dormant is in extremely cold days like below zero days or at least temps below freezing keep the garage door up for 10-30 minutes per day so that the bitter cold air counteracts the heat. Also when ever there is snow on the ground I place a lot of snow over each plant to keep them cold and from drying out too much. Yes, snow does insulate, but it is also freezing, and helps stay cold enough to help counteract the heat of the garage as well. Both of these methods help in keeping them dormant for at least a long enough time. I left all my plants outside unprotected for at least several frost's/freezes, making sure not to leave them out when it dips below 25°F or so. This helps guarantee the go dormant before placing them in the garage. Last year they went completely dormant the first week of November or so. Our first average freeze is mid-October. They awoke from dormancy in early/mid February. It was still freezing out and they would die if they were placed outside. So I kept them in my indoor propagation room with plenty of sunlight untill they could go outisde. The last freeze in Indy is Mid-May. This Bringd me to my propagation room. I overwinter annuals and Tropicals, grow houseplants, and propagate plants in here. It keeps me busy during the winter months as well. I hope to invest more into this hobby and get more space!

NatureMan

LAST WINTER

'Edith Bogue' Southern Magnolia Large Leaf

On my 'Edith Bogue' Southern Magnolia I have found a huge leaf, bigger than all the others. This may be the biggest Southern Magnolia leaf I have ever seen! I measuered it at over 10.5 inches long. Just shy of a foot long! I am curious just to how large Southern Magnolia leaves can get. What is the largest one you have ever seen? Please let me know, is it just me or is this abnormally large for a Southern Magnolia? Let me know if you have found any bigger this. If so please share pictures! Thanks!

NatureMan

Best Blue Spruce Varieties

The Colorado Blue Spruce is an amazing tree! It's blue frosted needles present themselves all year round! Adds great color to the landscape and will bring eyes to your yard!

Blue Spruce USDA Zone Hardiness: 2-7

"Globosa" Blue Spruce: a dwarf shrub only maturing to 4-5' tall by 3-4' wide. Has a "globe" shape to it with little maintenance required.

"Sester Dwarf" Blue Spruce: Dwarf tree maturing to 10' tall by 3-5' wide.

"Fat Albert" Blue Spruce: Wide growing spruce maturing to 40' tall by 20-25' wide.

"Hoopsi" Blue Spruce: Considered the most blue form. Maturing to 30-50' tall by 10-20' wide.

"Blue Totem" Blue Spruce: Extremely upright maturing to 20' tall by 3-5' wide.

"Iseli Fastigiate" bigger growing extremely upright maturing to 40' tall by 10' wide. 

Needlecast Alternatives: The Blue Spruce in some areas are extremely susceptible and lots die from the disease. 

Blue Atlas Cedar: Not pyramidal like most Conifers outward uneven branches adds a really cool unique texture to the landscape. Not as hardy as blue spruce. Hardy in USDA Zones: 5-9. Columnar version does exist to add a more pyramidal shape.

"Paul's Select" Norway Spruce: semi-dwarf tree maturing to 15-20' tall by 10-15' wide. 

Dwarf Blue Spruce's are rarely susceptible to needlecast, due to smaller form and low weak branches. So "Sester Dwarf" and "Globosa" are good varieties to not have to worry about needlecast. 

NatureMan