Forum home› Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Magnolia Susan

ciaranmcgreneraciaranmcgrenera Posts: 313
in Plants
Last year my wife bought me a “girl” Magnolia Susan, and the big pot below to put it in. It’s been fine and healthy and is about to start flowering much better than last year, so so far so good. 

However looking forward I think that the pot isn’t right. I think I’ll need something less tall and thin and more short and wide, in terms of long term stability and also For the roots. 

I think the roots of a magnolia are shallow and wide rather than deep. 

Has anyone any advice on what kind of pot size I should look for?


«1

Posts

  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @ciaranmcgrenera  There is a general rule when planting in pots, to look right your plant should be two thirds the height of the pot This isn't always easy to follow as plants keep growing but it does look right to the 'eye'. I have never grown a Magnolia Susan in a pot although I am a Suze. I do know the roots don't like disturbance.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • janetfossjanetfoss Posts: 303
    Hi @ciaranmcgrenera 
    I have the same type of magnolia, about the same size as yours. It's in a half barrel at the moment which isn't ideal. For one, there is a large camellia bush obscuring most of it and I think, as I expect others will say, it really needs to be in the ground. I will consider doing this after it flowers. 
    Is it possible you could plant your in the ground too?
    Sorry if my reply doesn't help!
  • ciaranmcgreneraciaranmcgrenera Posts: 313
    @GardenerSuze yeah I’m afraid of that. My fear is that if I keep it going too long as it is that it’ll become too unwieldy to “fix” in future. If I do it now then it maybe won’t look ideal for a while, but at least it’ll have room to grow into and thrive long term. The other option is to put it in the ground, but I’m not sure I have an ideal spot for it.
  • ciaranmcgreneraciaranmcgrenera Posts: 313
    @janetfoss seems like you’re in pretty much the same position as me. Sometime later this year I think I might have space to put it in the ground come to think of it. I intend to remove the hedge in the background. Until then I suppose it’ll have to stay where it is!
  • Bee witchedBee witched Posts: 1,295
    Hi @ciaranmcgrenera,

    I have a Magnolia Susan  .... it is now 10 years old and is about 10ft tall and about 6ft wide.
    So I think it would be happier planted in your garden if that's possible.

    Bee x
    Gardener and beekeeper in beautiful Scottish Borders  

    A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I'd agree - it needs to be in the ground. The problem with trying to keep it [and many similar trees/shrubs] thriving in a pot is that it can gradually decline, and then it becomes difficult to keep it going at all. Sometimes, these problems don't manifest until it's too late, which would be a shame. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    GardenerSuze said:
    @ciaranmcgrenera  There is a general rule when planting in pots, to look right your plant should be two thirds the height of the pot This isn't always easy to follow as plants keep growing but it does look right to the 'eye'. I have never grown a Magnolia Susan in a pot although I am a Suze. I do know the roots don't like disturbance.
    Surely the formula is that the pot should be one third the height of the plant?

    In this situation, the plant looks awkward as the pot is roughly the same height if not taller.

    If you like it, and there is nowhere in the garden to plant it, there is nothing wrong with keeping it in a pot. Are you sure you couldn't take up a slab or two over by the bins and pop it over there though?
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @ciaranmcgrenera Assuming that you are able to find somewhere for it in the garden .I wondered if you could use your beautiful pot as a focal point to create a vista at the bottom of the garden. Use it like a piece of art. Just a thought but may be not practical.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @ciaranmcgrenera ranmcJust remembered the name of another plant that is a thug so not for the garden but trails beautifully down a large pot. Rubus Tricolour. Search Marianne Majerus Rubus Tricolour. Photo taken in Helen Dillon's old garden.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • ciaranmcgreneraciaranmcgrenera Posts: 313
    edited April 2022
    @Loxley it’s the main thoroughfare there. I am most likely going to take down that hedge you can see though, and the shed will be removed. That’s the best part of the garden in terms of light so it needs to be better utilised. I’ll put it along there when that’s done. The hedge is absolutely full of ivy and bindweed too so it’s on the long slow way out anyway.

    @GardenerSuze it’s a quandary of a pot to get a use out of. I was ok with it at first as I figured the tree would grow to a decent size in it, but it’ll need something like that now instead. I actually live very close to Helen Dillon and she lets people in for tours so I’ll look out for it next time I go. It’s always good to go and steal some ideas!
Sign In or Register to comment.