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Caring for Michelia
Feature of 5 Michelias in April - Video Tip
More featured Michelias - Video Tip
Plants

Michelia - Care Guide

Caring for Michelia

(Now magnolia)

For generations gardeners have recognised that Michelia belonged in the Magnoliaceae family of plants (along with Magnolia, Manglietia and Liriodendron). It was therefore something of a surprise to discover that recent botanical reclassification now means that all species of Michelia have been renamed as magnolia species!

Since some Michelia species had the same names as different magnolia species other changes have been made which further complicates matters. For ease of reference I attach a list of both Michelia and Manglietia and what they are ‘properly’ called now. The ticks indicate the species which grow and can be seen today in the gardens of Burncoose and Caerhays Castle.

Michelias on evergreen trees with some species growing to at least 80ft in height with a spread of say 50-60ft. This is certainly the case with M. doltsopa at Caerhays where there are half a dozen or more 1920s planted trees.

Michelias are spring flowering trees (like most magnolias) whose flowers are white, cream or yellow and scented beyond belief. On a still day you can smell M. doltsopa in the gardens from 100 yards away.

Michelias will (slowly) propagate from summer new growth cuttings but those are best taken from young plants rather than old ones. Mature Michelia species, and particularly M. laevifolia and M. doltsopa, do produce copious quantities of seed but only in a year where the flowers have not been frosted or wind damaged before they could be fertilised. Consequently the nursery has either a surfeit or a glut of M. doltsopa seedlings available.

Michelia doltsopa

M. doltsopa ‘Silver Cloud’ is a named cultivar first grown in New Zealand with much larger flowers than M. doltsopa. The flowers have a cinnamon scent and are quite different to M. doltsopa. The plants we offer are normally grafted and in short supply.

M.doltsopa 'Silver Cloud'

We do now have a few plants for sale of M. ‘Touch of Pink’ with large creamy flowers tipped with purple then pink. Similarly M. ‘Mixed up Miss’ which has smaller more abundant flowers with a range of green, cream and pink in the buds and flowers.

Michelia 'Touch of Pink'

M. 'Touch of Pink' & Pinus insignis

Michelia 'Mixed Up Miss'

M. martinii and M. maudiae are also available in very limited numbers. The former seems hardier than other species and has yellow flowers. The latter has exquisitely scented pure white flowers.

Growing in popularity in many woodland gardens is M. laevifolia (formerly M. yunnanense) which has, initially, a spreading shrub like appearance. You should however not be fooled as this will grow into a large tree (we made this mistake 30 years ago). The numerous small buds are covered in an orangey velvet and yellow – fading to white flowers appear in April and May. This seems to be one of the hardiest species with us. We now also offer good selected forms of M. laevifolia. These are ‘Summer Snowflake’ and ‘White Caviar’.

Michelia laevifolia

M.laevifolia 'Summer Snowflake'

M.laevifolia 'White Caviar'

The great success story of Michelias and their ability to grow well as hardy shrubs and trees in our gardens has been the recent arrival of the ‘Fairy’ series of Michelias from New Zealand. The exact parentage is unknown but M. laevifolia is clearly involved in their breeding. These are tough little evergreens that form shapely young plants or trees and flower away in profusion even in pots. A five year old plant can easily grow to 4-6ft in height with a similar spread and have 50 to 70 flower buds.

There are now four different ‘Fairies’ in the range and all are enormously scented (see video below):

M. ‘Fairy Blush’ Pale pink fading to white
M. ‘Fairy Cream’ This one flowers later in the season than the others and is creamy-white
M. ‘Fairy White’ Profuse flowering with the pure white flowers opening flat
M. ‘Fairy Lime’ This is the latest introduction to our catalogue and is startlingly good. The flowers are lime-green in bud opening cream with hints of green. Do judge these plants for yourselves in the pictures at the bottom of these care notes.

Michelia 'Fairy Blush'

Michelia 'Fairy Cream'

Michelia 'Fairy White'

Michelia 'Fairy Lime'

We offer one other species which grows well enough outside at Caerhays but which is probably best grown as a conservatory plant because it grows much more slowly. This is M. figo. Our plant is only about 6ft high outside after 30 years. A plant in the Burncoose conservatory grew larger but flowered away from an early age with brownish-purple flowers that smell of pear drops. The velvety indumentum covering the buds is a gorgeous orange.

M. x foggii ‘Allspice’ is reputed to be more tender too but we have found it the most resilient Michelia of all to wind. It will grow into a tree rather than being a shrub. The leaves and buds have coppery coloured velvet on the undersides of the leaves and buds. This is probably the last of the Michelias to flower with us and usually only performs in late May.

Despite all that is said about Michelias being tender, once you get them growing away, they can readily cope with being almost totally defoliated in a ‘Beast from the East’ as we suffered in March 2018. What looked like a disaster soon gave way to a fresh crop of new young leaves. Indeed some species drop most of their old leaves in April or May before or as the new season growth appears.

Many more people are now trying to grow these exceptional plants in colder parts of the country with great success. Start them in a little microclimate of their own with as much shelter and protection as possible for immature young plants. Once they get established they are far more resilient than you might think.

Magnolia aromatica - Manglietia aromatica

Magnolia changhungtana - Manglietia pachyphylla

Magnolia Chevalieri - Manglietia Chevalieri

Magnolia conifera - Manglietia conifera, Manglietia Chingii

Magnolia conifera var. Chingii - Manglietia Chingii

Magnolia Dandyi - Manglietia megaphylla, Manglietia Dandyi

Magnolia decidua - Manglietia decidua, Sinomanglietia glauca

Magnolia Duclouxii - Manglietia Duclouxii

Magnolia Figlarii - Manglietia szechuanica

Magnolia Fordiana - Manglietia Fordiana

Magnolia Fordiana var. Forrestii - Manglietia Forrestii

Magnolia Garrettii - Manglietia Garrettii

Magnolia grandis - Manglietia grandis

Magnolia Hookeri - Manglietia Hookeri

Magnolia insignis - Manglietia insignis

Magnolia kwangtungensis - Manglietia Moto, Manglietia kwangtungensis

Magnolia yuyuanensis - Manglietia yuyuanensis

Magnolia x alba - Michelia x alba

Magnolia Baillonii - Michelia Baillonii, Paramichelia Baillonii

Magnolia Cavaleriei - Michelia Cavaleriei

Magnolia Cavaleriei var. platypetala - Michelia platypetala, Michelia Maudiae var. platypetala

Magnolia Champaca - Michelia Champaca

Magnolia chapensis - Michelia chapensis, Michelia Tsoi

Magnolia compressa - Michelia compressa

Magnolia Doltsopa - Michelia Doltsopa

Magnolia Ernestii - Michelia Wilsonii, Michelia sinensis

Magnolia Ernestii subsp. szechuanica - Michelia szechuanica

Magnolia Figo - Michelia Figo

Magnolia Figo var. crassipes - Michelia crassipes

Magnolia Figo var. Skinneriana - Michelia skinneriana

Magnolia floribunda - Michelia floribunda

Magnolia x Foggii - Michelia x Foggii

Magnolia foveolata - Michelia foveolata, Michelia fulgens, Michelia aenea

Magnolia fulva - Michelia fulva, Michelia ingrata

Magnolia fulva var. calcicola - Michelia calcicola

Magnolia Lacei - Michelia Lacei, Michelia magnifica, Michelia pachycarpa

Magnolia laevifolia - Michelia yunnanensis, Magnolia dianica

Magnolia lanuginosa - Michelia velutina

Magnolia Macclurei - Michelia Macclurei

Magnolia Martini - Michelia Martini

Magnolia Maudiae - Michelia Maudiae

Magnolia odora - Michelia odora, Tsoongiodendron odorum