AusBonsai

Magnolias seem to be under represented in many collections in Australia.

Besides the fact they have large leaves and big flowers, I’m curious what is holding them back from being popular?

Does anyone have one? Does anyone recommend a smaller dwarf variety suitable to bonsai?

I’m looking at acquiring or developing one and need some motivation!

If your after inspiration https://valavanisbonsaiblog.com/2020/05 ... ia-bonsai/
I have the smaller flowering magnolia known as star magnolia or Magnolia stellata. Puts on a nice show in spring.
I can’t remember who someone here has posted one which was very good.
Cheers
Kirky

I think another factor is availability too.

For most general nurseries they only really get deciduous magnolias in when they are in flower as they know they won’t sell at any other time of the year. They will choose stock that is garden suitable (ie straight trunks), and get enough in to cover last year’s demand + a little bit. Also remember very ugly grafts on most of them too.

I’ve seen I think it’s star magnolia young plants at a bonsai nursery near me, but it’s not inspiring material so I haven’t bothered with it yet. No one else seems to be either as they have been there as long as I’ve been attending the nursery.

I’d be keen to try magnolia, but lack of available material suitable is always the issue for me

I have a small starter magnolia bonsai. It was in the garden shop and sold as a "Port Wine " magnolia. The leaves are not very large and it has small flowers. Seems to do quite well in a pot, though it would probably grow faster in a larger grow pot.

Hey Daluke, I dont know where in Melbourne you are, but the Coolart Nursery in Somerville has some smaller Magnolias. They are a regular nursery, so it isnt bonsai material, but they have some nice small stock (around 40cm-1m in height) which is still very flexible and can be easily wired etc. Might be worth a look if you're nearby! They have quite a few varieties/cultivars too.
I bought one last year (about $12-15 and was around 40cm tall)
It was just a stick in the pot, but was quite flexible come spring! This one was a magnolia x soulangeana

Thanks for the replies - the stellata seems the way to go.

Seems like most things - finding good stuff is hard to come by.

I imagine that the big leaves and flowers make it hard to look proportionate, but the flower buds on a bare trunk probably make up for it.

The photos in the valvanis article are awesome!

I’ve seen a few decent ones and if I ever wanted to get my wife interested in bonsai, a magnolia would be the tree of choice...
Here’s one I saw in Japan, back when international travel was a thing.

Hi guys, I've been looking for magnolias too.
There's someone selling some on the FB marketplace. I think he's located in the northwestern suburbs. Trees about 1 foot tall are $10 each. About 30 left as per the ad


However I've just got back from a visit at bonsai sensation.
And he's brought out his own magnolia stock. All wired. $30 each in 10cm pots. Less than 1cm thick. There are 2 species. Soulangeana and kobus.
Both have been grown for 2 years from seed. 1 year spent in the ground. There's heaps of them. Maybe 20 of each magnolia.