Stellar Ruby Magnolia Any One?

roberthu

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Has anyone tried this hybrid? I took a screen shot of of the description. Seems like a good candidate for bonsai?
 

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Leo in N E Illinois

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Magnolia, most are not good for bonsai. The issue is leaves are giant, and simply do not reduce to a proportionate size. Sometimes magnolia that bloom while leafless in early spring are used to make a tree that is only displayed while in bloom. They are hidden away, and not shown, when not in bloom.

Magnolia Figo 'Stellar Ruby' is an evergreen magnolia. It will have big, out of proportion leaves while in bloom. Use it as a landscape shrub.

Look for a deciduous magnolia if you really want a magnolia as bonsai. Make certain it blooms before leaves emerge.
 

roberthu

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Magnolia, most are not good for bonsai. The issue is leaves are giant, and simply do not reduce to a proportionate size. Sometimes magnolia that bloom while leafless in early spring are used to make a tree that is only displayed while in bloom. They are hidden away, and not shown, when not in bloom.

Magnolia Figo 'Stellar Ruby' is an evergreen magnolia. It will have big, out of proportion leaves while in bloom. Use it as a landscape shrub.

Look for a deciduous magnolia if you really want a magnolia as bonsai. Make certain it blooms before leaves emerge.
Thanks. I just received a one gallon plant just to see how it looks. The leaves aren’t terribly large actually. About 3” long 1.5” wide. Looks quite nice. Maybe it is good enough for large bonsai. If the leaf size can be reduced it will be even nicer.
 

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Forsoothe!

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As Leo says, Magnolia doesn't really make good bonsai, per se. However, after you have some number of trees and have the obligatory conventional one of everything group, you can branch out. I have a 'Royal Star' that was going to be just perfect spring of '13, but the Winter From Hell got here first and top-killed everything. My perfect arc of ~deer antlers~ was gone. It finally bloomed some last year and the flowers are so great that my wife admired it. She never looks at or says anything nice about my trees. The leaves are too big and inherently disorderly to make into any kind of separate clouds or lay in any orderly fashion, but they are nice and healthy looking. Next spring it's going to be a killer with lots of flowers.
Mrs 2020_0805 Edit debug (2).jpg
 

sorce

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I reckon they're better than that God Damn Desert rose!

I thought Owen had a thread on them. I know he keeps one...I think.

@Owen Reich how you doing feller?

Sorce
 

roberthu

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As Leo says, Magnolia doesn't really make good bonsai, per se. However, after you have some number of trees and have the obligatory conventional one of everything group, you can branch out. I have a 'Royal Star' that was going to be just perfect spring of '13, but the Winter From Hell got here first and top-killed everything. My perfect arc of ~deer antlers~ was gone. It finally bloomed some last year and the flowers are so great that my wife admired it. She never looks at or says anything nice about my trees. The leaves are too big and inherently disorderly to make into any kind of separate clouds or lay in any orderly fashion, but they are nice and healthy looking. Next spring it's going to be a killer with lots of flowers.
View attachment 327372
That is a nicely looking tree!
I guess I am thinking the term bonsai loosely here. A “kind good looking potted tree” is good enough for me haha
 

Forsoothe!

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I reckon they're better than that God Damn Desert rose!

I thought Owen had a thread on them. I know he keeps one...I think.

@Owen Reich how you doing feller?

Sorce
Did somebody just disrespect this...DeR 2019 AABS Show Desert Rose.jpg
Again, not really bonsai-like, but when boredom sets in, the flowers will perk you up!
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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I've got my share of horticultural pets, that purists will not accept as bonsai. Sometimes I'll even share photos of them. But just did not want you to get your hopes up, thinking you could get your magnolia to have leaves smaller than your thumbnail and twiggy branches like an elm or hornbeam. That just "ain't gonna happen".
 

roberthu

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I've got my share of horticultural pets, that purists will not accept as bonsai. Sometimes I'll even share photos of them. But just did not want you to get your hopes up, thinking you could get your magnolia to have leaves smaller than your thumbnail and twiggy branches like an elm or hornbeam. That just "ain't gonna happen".
Lol never had that kind of expectation. Although it doesn’t mean I am not going to try:cool:
 

Owen Reich

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I reckon they're better than that God Damn Desert rose!

I thought Owen had a thread on them. I know he keeps one...I think.

@Owen Reich how you doing feller?

Sorce
My hybrid star magnolia didn’t make it during one of my 3 month trips to Japan a few years ago. Incredibly rewarding Genus. Michellia figo isn’t fully hardy a lot of places, but worth having. Deciduous magnolias like star and some hybrids do have the right stuff and naturally form heavy bases.

I’m doing ok @sorce. Full life reboot with a ton of support. Grateful for that support, and to still be here.
 

roberthu

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My hybrid star magnolia didn’t make it during one of my 3 month trips to Japan a few years ago. Incredibly rewarding Genus. Michellia figo isn’t fully hardy a lot of places, but worth having. Deciduous magnolias like star and some hybrids do have the right stuff and naturally form heavy bases.

I’m doing ok @sorce. Full life reboot with a ton of support. Grateful for that support, and to still be here.
Thank you sir! Glad to hear you are rebooting!
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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@Owen Reich - Glad to hear you are getting some support. Full Life Reboot, is a difficult journey, my thoughts are for your success.

I do have a Magnolia with small leaves, Magnolia virginiana 'Dodd's Small Leaf', it is a unique cultivar, with leaves less than 2 inches, and leaves will reduce from what is in the photo, once it is taken out of the nursery pot and moved to "bonsai horticulture". Like so many things, the good trait of this cultivar is that it has tiny leaves for a magnolia, the down side is it grows very slowly and seems pretty reluctant to bloom. And what is the point of a magnolia if it never gets around to blooming? The result is a very slow growing curiosity, that so far has not bloomed for me in 3 summers. And has not grown more than one or two internodes for each summer. Damn slow growing.

IMG_20181106_153607672 (2019_10_20 19_42_16 UTC).jpg
 

Driftwood

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I have a different dwarf M. virginiana as well. Not sure of cultivar name but a hair bigger leaf
Hi, I'm waiting for my first Magnolia stellata and learning as much as possible. Have seen Bjorn 'the bonsai art of japan ep 16' and your blog https://tupelobonsai.com/tag/owen-reich/
Could you please comment on type of soil, root work,scar's healing or any other tips?
 

Owen Reich

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Don’t recall what’s in the old blog post, but the roots are thick and fleshy and you can cut them off pretty aggressively if tree is healthy. I use Aoki blend, and they love water. Scars heal well most of time. Bases of cutting grown plants have natural basal flare. Leaf surface removal and leaf thinning very helpful and necessary for a ramified design.
 
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