Magnolia "Little Gem" by Kurt Mize

All:

My sister, also a list member, asked me to respond to Deborah Lindsay's
request for info on Magnolia "Little Gem."  I planted one in my front garden
16 years ago based upon the nurseryman's assurances that it would "top out
at around 15 feet."  It is currently about 25 feet tall and still growing.
In my experience, the "little" in "Little Gem" refers more to the size of
the foliage and the flowers (which are disappointingly small) than to
anything else.  I love Magnolia grandiflora in the proper situation (a park
or woodland garden), but they shed leaves and litter continuously, hourly,
year-round.  The leaves are stiff and leathery, and don't decompose quickly,
so maintaining a tidy garden or patio beneath the shade of one is basically
impossible.  I'd keep looking, if I were Deborah.

Kurt Mize
Stockton, California
USDA Zone 9
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