Two posts ago I wrote about Caerhays Castle in Cornwall. When I visited last year I did not care to record the botanical names of the plants I saw and photographed. But there is one I do remember: Michelia doltsopa. Michelias have lately been incorporated into the Magnolias: after analysing their DNA most botanists no longer believe that they merit their own genus. But as so often, the old names linger on and I shall stick with Michelia here, if only to make the distinction between them and the more commonly known and grown magnolias.
Michelias first caught my attention a few years ago in the wonderful Cornish garden Trengwainton. The trees in question also were Michelia doltsopa (now Magnolia doltsopa). To me they looked a little like a huge evergreen magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) but with smaller, less overwhelming leaves and far more numerous yet much less bloated blooms. That’s no coincidence since the flowers are born not only at the tip of a branch but from the leaf axils along its length. And they had an incredible perfume to boost! I fell for them immediately. Since then I have encountered michelias in several Cornish gardens and when I came across small plants for sale in one of them last year, I was too weak to resist.
Michelias first caught my attention a few years ago in the wonderful Cornish garden Trengwainton. The trees in question also were Michelia doltsopa (now Magnolia doltsopa). To me they looked a little like a huge evergreen magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) but with smaller, less overwhelming leaves and far more numerous yet much less bloated blooms. That’s no coincidence since the flowers are born not only at the tip of a branch but from the leaf axils along its length. And they had an incredible perfume to boost! I fell for them immediately. Since then I have encountered michelias in several Cornish gardens and when I came across small plants for sale in one of them last year, I was too weak to resist.
 Michelia doltsopa in a Cornish garden |  ... zooming in they look like this |
Mind you, I tried to be sensible and bought what came by the name of Michelia yunnanensis: “An evergreen large shrub, sometimes a small tree” as the label stated. Thus I tried to make myself believe it was “more appropriate” than the “big tree” version of M. doltsopa. (Information I found as to their size varies, but apparently the latter can grow to 30 metres tall…) In fact, they are both inappropriate for my patio and a smallish pot, I guess, but try talking sense to someone in love…
According to one source it was Scottish physician and geographer-zoologist-botanist Francis Buchanan-Hamilton who discovered Michelia doltsopa in Nepal and officially named it in 1817 – after 17th century Italian botanist Pietro Antonio Micheli. And as far back as 1838 the great horticulturist John Claudius Loudon, in his big opus Arboretum et Fruticetum Britannicum, mentioned michelias and stated that an expert thought they would grow in the milder parts of the UK. I also read somewhere that Michelia doltsopa first bloomed outside of Asia in 1933: at Caerhays Castle! They were introduced there by the plant hunter George Forrest.
According to one source it was Scottish physician and geographer-zoologist-botanist Francis Buchanan-Hamilton who discovered Michelia doltsopa in Nepal and officially named it in 1817 – after 17th century Italian botanist Pietro Antonio Micheli. And as far back as 1838 the great horticulturist John Claudius Loudon, in his big opus Arboretum et Fruticetum Britannicum, mentioned michelias and stated that an expert thought they would grow in the milder parts of the UK. I also read somewhere that Michelia doltsopa first bloomed outside of Asia in 1933: at Caerhays Castle! They were introduced there by the plant hunter George Forrest.
Michelia (or Magnolia) doltsopa: Its common name is Sweet Michelia - due to a powerful fragrance
So why then aren’t michelias grown more widely I wonder? Not everyone is as short of space as I am. Why not, say, a Michelia yunnanensis instead of the ubiquitous Magnolia stellata or ornamental cherry for a smallish garden? As the name suggests, the plant originates in the Chinese province Yunnan. Small white or cream flowers, miniature saucer-shaped single magnolias, emerging from velvety buds which at first are a darkish brown, later more of a greeny yellow before the bud scales dry to cinnamon again as they open. The blooms grace the plant for several weeks, with the extra bonus of a delicious fragrance. (I struggle to describe the latter but somehow it reminds me of both pears and ylang-ylang. Does that make sense? Others have detected notes of vanilla. A sweet, fruity-floral scent I would say.)
As I tried to learn more about michelias a few days ago, I looked out onto a garden that seemed to duck and curl up under yet another heavy shower of sleet. We were back to chilly temperatures and while my previous blog post wasn't premature, this year really tests a gardener's patience. The weather has done some (minor) damage to my Michelia: the creamy petals that had dared to open have their edges frosted and browned and those that had emerged from the buds but remained still closed now look as though they had been dusted with cinnamon but will eventually brown faster too.
My friend likened the buds of Michelia yunnanensis to almonds - I'd have to agree
Whilst I suspect that hardiness is an issue with most other michelias (Cornish gardens usually are favoured by a very mild climate after all), the clue to the scarceness of “my” species in gardens funnily enough seems provided by the same Country Gardener magazine issue mentioned in my post on Caerhays Castle. In it, Nurseryman Kevin Croucher lists five of the best flowering shrubs – and amongst them is Michelia yunnanensis.
The expert states that it is only medium-sized (hurray!), very winter hardy and very tolerant of soil type but only available to western gardeners since the 1980s. So that would explain why it is not seen more often! Croucher, too, swoons about its fragrance, recommends an open sunny spot and concludes that “it can only grow in popularity”. Absolutely.
Actually, I have fallen for this particular michelia much earlier without even knowing: several years ago the magazine Gardens Illustrated published a list of 100 “must-have plants” chosen by various well-known British garden designers. And I remember there was a magnolia, chosen as his top plant by Cleve West that I have coveted ever since, just on the sight of the photograph. It was called Magnolia laevifolia. Only now, on starting to write this post and doing some research did I realise: this is the same plant as Michelia yunnanensis - Magnolia laevifolia* is just its new, botanically correct name! I've fallen for the same plant twice!
The expert states that it is only medium-sized (hurray!), very winter hardy and very tolerant of soil type but only available to western gardeners since the 1980s. So that would explain why it is not seen more often! Croucher, too, swoons about its fragrance, recommends an open sunny spot and concludes that “it can only grow in popularity”. Absolutely.
Actually, I have fallen for this particular michelia much earlier without even knowing: several years ago the magazine Gardens Illustrated published a list of 100 “must-have plants” chosen by various well-known British garden designers. And I remember there was a magnolia, chosen as his top plant by Cleve West that I have coveted ever since, just on the sight of the photograph. It was called Magnolia laevifolia. Only now, on starting to write this post and doing some research did I realise: this is the same plant as Michelia yunnanensis - Magnolia laevifolia* is just its new, botanically correct name! I've fallen for the same plant twice!
Magic moment: first flower open on Michelia yunnanensis/ Magnolia laevifolia*
I’ve also found out that Michelia yunnanensis / Magnolia laevifolia* must be much more common in New Zealand where several tempting cultivars have been raised. One of the fun bits researching for this post was coming across Abbie Jury’s website: her husband Mark has bred several michelias. The name “Jury” rang a bell: I’d heard of them as breeders of magnolias and camellias. The main association in my mind: Camellia “Jury’s Yellow”.
Turns out this was actually bred by Mark’s uncle Les and that there is a whole “Jury dynasty” of plant breeders. Mark, who also raised the exciting magnolia “Black Tulip” by the way, has “released” his michelias under the tradename Fairy Magnolias and their descriptions sound absolutely enticing. Burncoose Nursery (the nursery connected with Caerhays Castle) offer them from their website for the first time this year, along with M. doltsopa, M. laevifolia* and five other species. I’m sure we’ll come across michelias far more often in future!
Incidentally, the Frustrated Gardener, one of the blogs I enjoy and read regularly, wrote about michelias at the same time as I scribbled down the first paragraphs for this post – you can read his here.
Turns out this was actually bred by Mark’s uncle Les and that there is a whole “Jury dynasty” of plant breeders. Mark, who also raised the exciting magnolia “Black Tulip” by the way, has “released” his michelias under the tradename Fairy Magnolias and their descriptions sound absolutely enticing. Burncoose Nursery (the nursery connected with Caerhays Castle) offer them from their website for the first time this year, along with M. doltsopa, M. laevifolia* and five other species. I’m sure we’ll come across michelias far more often in future!
Incidentally, the Frustrated Gardener, one of the blogs I enjoy and read regularly, wrote about michelias at the same time as I scribbled down the first paragraphs for this post – you can read his here.
* P.S. After contacting Abbie Jury a week from first publishing this post, I received the following information:
"I think hardiness is the big issue for michelias in the UK. We are still waiting to see how Mark's hybrids fare longer term because we can't test for hardiness here. Anything with doltospa or figo in it is going to be more tender whereas maudiae and dianica are hardier. Magnolia dianica, by the way, is the current correct name for M. yunnanensis (laevifolia was very shortlived!). The Chinese do not accept the reclassification of michelias as magnolias and we are unconvinced that it is helpful. Of course they are all part of the same family, but keeping the sub group of michelia makes it clearer."
"I think hardiness is the big issue for michelias in the UK. We are still waiting to see how Mark's hybrids fare longer term because we can't test for hardiness here. Anything with doltospa or figo in it is going to be more tender whereas maudiae and dianica are hardier. Magnolia dianica, by the way, is the current correct name for M. yunnanensis (laevifolia was very shortlived!). The Chinese do not accept the reclassification of michelias as magnolias and we are unconvinced that it is helpful. Of course they are all part of the same family, but keeping the sub group of michelia makes it clearer."
Michelia yunnanensis/ Magnolia laevifolia*: Not just from China but as if from china... :-)
Definitely needs trimming - but no problem, they can be cut and clipped to shape (preferably straight after flowering)
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