I've had my magnolia in this position in my garden for a few years and its never flowered. I get leaves but not one flower. Ive seen smaller ones than mine with flowers so it can't be its size can it?.
Many years ago we had a magnolia twig which grew but never flowered. We moved and took it with us and although replanted it still didn't flower. Then an old gardener told my husband that they often put down a tap root and that stopped them flowering. Well we moved again and as I dug it up I heard something snap! Replanted again in our new home and when we moved 17 years later it was over 10ft tall and flowered every year. Now 3 houses later and in each one I plant a magnolia but always put a small slab under the stem and they all flower every year. The latest is a magnolia stellata bought from Lidl and in its 3rd season, it flowered last year and is just flowering now. Maybe worth trying now although it's too late for flowers this year as they form their flower buds in the autumn
@K67 It was interesting what you said about the tap root I heard this about other plants many years ago when I spent a few years working part time in a large country house garden while at uni. The other thing relating to a large magnolia that had never flowered in about 20 years and was going to be removed. One of the gardeners suggested to ring bark it. So they removed 2/3 of the bark from around the trunk about 4 inches wide, this apparently cheats the plant into thinking it's dying and it's natural instinct is to flower and set seed. How much truth in this I don't know but the magnolia flowered the next year and every year from then on or maybe it was naturally time for it to flower anyway.
"You don't stop gardening because you get old, you get old because you stop gardening." - The Hampshire Hog
I'm going to move it tomorrow to another part of the garden where the soil is better. see if that helps. The soil here is not great, a lot of stones, i keep digging it over and removing as much stone as i can.
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Well we moved again and as I dug it up I heard something snap! Replanted again in our new home and when we moved 17 years later it was over 10ft tall and flowered every year.
Now 3 houses later and in each one I plant a magnolia but always put a small slab under the stem and they all flower every year. The latest is a magnolia stellata bought from Lidl and in its 3rd season, it flowered last year and is just flowering now.
Maybe worth trying now although it's too late for flowers this year as they form their flower buds in the autumn
That is still a very small Magnolia.
Give it time.
The soil looks horrid. Full of stones.
Is it too dry?
Maybe it would benefit from a good mulch.
The other thing relating to a large magnolia that had never flowered in about 20 years and was going to be removed.
One of the gardeners suggested to ring bark it. So they removed 2/3 of the bark from around the trunk about 4 inches wide, this apparently cheats the plant into thinking it's dying and it's natural instinct is to flower and set seed.
How much truth in this I don't know but the magnolia flowered the next year and every year from then on or maybe it was naturally time for it to flower anyway.
"You don't stop gardening because you get old, you get old because you stop gardening." - The Hampshire Hog