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Magnolia Grandiflora - Bronzing of new foliage

GenkiSudoGenkiSudo Posts: 6
in Problem solving
Hi,

I planted a Magnolia Grandiflora this spring, here in SW England. It had a tough time in part due to the late snow / frost.

The pH of my soil is 7.0, and the leaves showed the typical pattern of hypochlorosis, which has been fixed with ericaceous feed and sequestered iron.

I've noticed that some of the new leaves are bronzed. Can this just be part of normal development, or have I over done things with the iron?

Either way, I'm going to hold off with the iron and suspect things will sort themselves out.

Just wanting to know for future reference.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

Genki.




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Posts

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    They are new leaves and often have a bronze hue.
    They'll darken as they mature - noting of concern, it's completely normal :)
    You could do with removing a bit more grass from around the base of the plant.
    Also, as it's very close to the wall so it'll often need watering

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • GenkiSudoGenkiSudo Posts: 6
    Thanks Pete - that's reassuring.

    Removing more grass is on my to do list...!

    Cheers


  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    If I were you I'd be moving it much further away from the wall, they become really large trees eventually. What was the ultimate size given on the label?
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    Agree @amancalledgeorge about moving it and its size. We have a magnificent one in the garden and it is huge upwards and outwards.
    Beautiful leaves and flowers.
  • GenkiSudoGenkiSudo Posts: 6
    It's an "Exmouth" - so I think it will potentially get pretty ginormous.

    I'd planted it next to the (west facing) wall, just because most of the stuff I'd read online talked about them needing shelter, and them generally doing ok again walls/ being ok for wall training.

    I think it found the initial planting pretty traumatic (or at least I did...). Leaves got totally shredding in the icy winds too.

    I'm guessing if moving it, wait til autumn/winter and the sooner the better?

    I'll have a think. 
  • GenkiSudoGenkiSudo Posts: 6
    First flower




  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Lovely bloom 😊 

    Don’t want to rain on your parade, but you’ve still got it against the wall .., is that a house?  Have you considered potential damage to the foundations? 

    Have a look here 

    https://www.treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/magnolia/magnolia-grandiflora/ 

    scroll down to see how big they can grow. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I'm afraid if it's a west facing wall, it's directly in the line of fire from prevailing wind and weather ,as most of it comes from the west.  :)
    When advice says a sheltered spot, then yes - a wall can be very useful, but not when it's behind the plant. Shelter from other planting or a wall/fence etc, has to be in the right site to be of use. 
    Having said that, it seems to be thriving well enough. I wouldn't have had it so close to the wall either though, as the others have said. You'll lose the real  effect of it which is a pity, as well as possible problems with roots ,depending on what that wall is. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    That is a very long description @Dovefromabove. It shows really big trees and photos of trees against walls, even house walls, including Hampton Court, but it does say they can be heavily pruned.

    There are quite a lot where I live in Dordogne and the winters there tend to be colder than in England. My son had one in the small garden of his first house in Périgueux. It took over the whole garden but the real nuisance was the dropping of the seed pods which are big and heavy and painful when they drop on your head! Meant they couldn't sit in the garden, only the bit of the patio nearest the house. Although evergreen it shed loads of leaves when it grew new ones, barrowloads. Having seen it I thought I would never plant one in my garden. More suitable for a really big garden or an arboretum.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Yes they can be heavily pruned @Busy-Lizzie … I’ve seen one very successfully trained against a very tall wall in the garden of a stately home …  but that was a walled garden … not the wall of a house, which is why I asked the question 😊 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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