Started Magnolia at the wrong time — lessons learned

I planted Magnolia at entirely the wrong point in the growing calendar and spent the first few months wondering what I'd done wrong. honey fungus affecting roots especially on stressed trees didn't help matters. Once I understood keeping a mulch-free collar immediately around the trunk things improved substantially.

multi-decade investment that improves year on year is what makes this plant worth persisting with. In a garden focal point visible from the house windows it finally looks as good as I'd imagined. blossom or leaf burst in spring creating dramatic transformation redeemed the whole effort. If you're starting out: do your timing research before you plant.