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Michelias
These lovely sub tropical large evergreen bushes or small trees come from Asia and are closely related to Magnolias. You can tell that by their lovely flowers. I love them for their fragrance which mostly is very fruity and tropical. The variety Michelia alba which is a tender tropical shrub bears exquisite white flowers from which essential oils are extracted commercially and is the base of the worlds most expensive perfume “Joy”. I haven’t encountered this lovely Michelia in N.Z (perhaps we are too cold to grow it ) but have seen it growing in large containers in protected areas in the warmer parts of Australia.
Other Michelias grow well in our temperate regions. They only tolerate light to medium frosts. Anything heavier will blacken growing tips and flower buds. The shrubby varieties are well suited to the smaller garden and flower from an early age. Also they can be clipped into any shape or form. The smaller leafed varieties are becoming popular as low dense hedges. It is possible to purchase them as standard forms as well. Michelia figo and M. yunnannensis are the forms used in this manner. They are excellent in containers as well and growing them like this enables you to bring fragrance close to your windows and entryways.
To grow Michelias well plant where they won’t be baked in the hot summer sun .An easterly position suits them well, also a semi shaded position. Excessive hot sun causes the leaves to turn an unattractive yellow green and edge blackening can occur as well. The exception to this is the sturdy Michelia doltsopa whose thick leathery leaves resemble those of the Magnolia. This tree is better suited growing out in the open .
Michelias are surface rooted and resent root disturbance and competition. Grow in well drained soil with regular additions of compost. Feed annually with a general purpose fertilizer.
Michelia figo ( Port Wine Magnolia )
The most commonly grown Michelia in N.Z. Can be clipped as a manageable dense bush but will attain a small sized tree if left to its own devices. I have grown it outside my bedroom window for its many months of fruity fragrance, very much like a combination of apples and bananas. As the tree became taller I limbed up the lower branches so the sun could still come in. The tree has now formed a frame around the window. Michelia figo is rarely without its small wine coloured flowers but produces a profusion of them from late summer to early winter. I have seen lovely 1.5 m dense hedges of this Michelia but trimming will sacrifice the flowers so only clip in late winter.
Michelia doltsopa
This magnificent tree is a floral delight through late winter and into late spring with its large many petaled pure white flowers.The fruity lemony fragrance is imparted over the whole garden on sunny days and entices bees. Michelia doltsopa can be variable and slow to flower so look for the variety Silver Cloud.This is a cutting grown tree so flowers from an early age. Fat furry cinnamon coloured buds appear from autumn and contrast nicely against the bluish green leaves. Michelia doltsopa is a pyramidal grower eventually reaching 10 metres high. Grow it as a lawn specimen where it will delight for generations. A few years ago in Otaki, much to my dismay, a huge specimen was chopped down in the height of its flowering season. The property must have changed hands since that destructive act because that same tree sprouted again from its base to renew itself and now stands proudly again in full flower.
Michelia Mixed- up-Miss and Bubbles
These varieties are the results of crosses between M. figo and M. doltsopa and have resulted in smaller growing trees with larger sized fragrant flowers. Michelia Mixed up miss has larger shiny green leaves than M figo with white and wine flowers that are quite large but don’t open out. It is spring flowering like M. doltsopa and grows robustly into a small tree of 3ms.
Michelia Bubbles has larger leathery leaves and grows into a small pyramidal shaped tree of 3ms.The large white flowers open slightly at the ends and flowers en mass during early spring.
Michelia maudiae
This is my favourite Michelia but unfortunately still not widely grown or available from nurseries but worth while looking out for. It is a small upright growing tree almost columnar in growth habit. The large leaves are a bluish green on top and noticeably bluish white underneath. The leaves are a very attractive feature and are further enhanced with the pristine white flowers that open like water lilies in spring.
Michelia yunnanensis This tree has only been around for the last ten years and good forms are still being selected so expect variability in growth habit and flower size and form. It is naturally an open grower with a multitude of stems and can grow into a sizable bushy tree if not clipped. Small leaves have a russet reverse and cinnamon coloured flowering buds open to creamy white magnolia type flowers in early summer. The fragrance is slight but lemony. Michelia yunnanensis has become popular as a hedge plant or topiary. It makes an excellent container specimen and flowers for a prolonged period.
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