I am DEFINATELY not a gardener in any sense. Every single plant I have is,
at best, not growing (at all!). And mostly dying. I see that Bunnings has
some semi dwarf Magnolias (about 1.2m tall [at] $75), which I have always liked
the looks of. I just love their dark green ontop and brown bottom leaves.

As I am planning to move to a new house next year, I had thought of buying
these plants and trying to grow them out a bit in the current house (still
in the pot). And then planting them next year when they are (hopefully)
bigger. So some questions please...
1. Are they hard to take care of? (Perth weather)
2. Is $75 for the 1.2m tall ones a fair price? I am intending on about 9 of
these, so they add up
3. Is it a good idea to try to grow them bigger in the pot for the next 9
months, or should I just wait till I move house?

On Wed, 22 Feb 2006 12:16:30 +0800, "Shaw" <shaw [at] netplus.com.au> wrote:

> I am DEFINATELY not a gardener in any sense. Every single plant I have is,
> at best, not growing (at all!). And mostly dying. I see that Bunnings has
> some semi dwarf Magnolias (about 1.2m tall [at] $75), which I have always liked
> the looks of. I just love their dark green ontop and brown bottom leaves.
>
> As I am planning to move to a new house next year, I had thought of buying
> these plants and trying to grow them out a bit in the current house (still
> in the pot). And then planting them next year when they are (hopefully)
> bigger. So some questions please...
> 1. Are they hard to take care of? (Perth weather)
> 2. Is $75 for the 1.2m tall ones a fair price? I am intending on about 9 of
> these, so they add up
> 3. Is it a good idea to try to grow them bigger in the pot for the next 9
> months, or should I just wait till I move house?

I think you mean Little Gem.

$75 for a 1.2m plant is a bit expensive. I saw them that size at my local nursery for $50 the other
day.

In article <43fbe56b [at] quokka.wn.com.au>, "Shaw" <shaw [at] netplus.com.au> wrote:

> As I am planning to move to a new house next year, I had thought of buying
> these plants and trying to grow them out a bit in the current house (still
> in the pot). And then planting them next year when they are (hopefully)
> bigger.

Just want to make a couple of points:

1. In general, the smaller the plant, the better. Firstly, they settle in
better than big plants, and secondly, if you lose them, you aren't losing $75
a time. If you can, buy tubestock, or plants in fairly small pots.

2. In Sydney, we generally plant trees in autumn rather than spring. They
settle in without too much stress over winter, rather than having their little
roots fried off over summer. I would guess it's the same in Perth.

3. If you are moving, take plenty of time -- like a year -- to decide where
you want to plant things. Don't go at it like a bull at a gate; that's how
people end up planting Norfolk Island Pines under power lines.

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"... if *I* was buying a baby I'd jolly well make sure it was at
least a two-tooth!"
Mary Grant Bruce, The Houses of the Eagle.