The Joirnal of magnolia society international

magnolia
The Journal of the Magnolia Society International
Volume 58 Issue 111 Spring/Summer 2023

Front cover : Magnolia ‘Banana Split’ Photo by Teresa Riehl
Back cover: Magnolia ‘Red Baron’ Photo by Mark Konlock
Inside: All photographs by respective authors unless otherwise noted.
MAGNOLIA, Journal of the Magnolia Society International (ISSN 0738-3053) is published two
times a year by the Magnolia Society International, Inc., a not-for-profit society, as a service to
its members. Address inquiries about membership and requests for copies of the bylaws to the
secretary: Beth Edward, 3000 Henneberry Road, Jamesville, NY 13078, USA.
Contents
Preserving Ledvina’s Legacy:
The Magnolia Collection at Green Bay
Botanical Garden
Mark Konlock
Population study and conservation of Magnolia
banghamii, a narrow endemic tree in Sumatra
Island, Indonesia
Iyan Robiansyah, Enggal Primananda, Wendy A.
Mustaqim, Yusuf Sigit Ahmad Fauzan, Ahmad Yudis
Mahardhika, Zulfan Arico, Andri Yusman Persada,
Jean Linsky
The Magnolias of Bob Cherry and His Paradise
Plants Nursery
Neil Mitchell
Editor
Joseph Tychonievich
magsocietyeditor@gmail.com
Scientific Advisor
Richard B. Figlar
Pickens, SC
magnolia@magnoliaceae.org

Officers
President
Matthew Lobdell
Missouri Botanical Garden
4344 Shaw Blvd
St. Louis, MO 63110
Vice President
Dr. Koen Camelbeke
Foundation Arboretum Wespelaar
Grote Baan 63
Wespelaar 3150
Belgium
Secretary
Beth Edward
3000 Henneberry Road
Jamesville, NY 13078
Treasurer
Robert Rich
425 Walnut Street Suite 1800
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Standing Committee Chairs
Registered Corporate Agent
Robert Rich
Finance
Robert Rich
Research
Dr. Koen Camelbeke
Annual Meetings
Susan Booth
Cultivar Registration
Paul Reimer
Nominations
Greg Paige
Seed Counter
Ethan Guthrie
Kevin Parris
Awards and Honors
Dr. Todd West
Dues payments, orders for back issues of this journal, payment or inquiries concerning advertise-
ments, and orders for publications should be addressed to the treasurer: Robert Rich, 425 Walnut
Street Suite 1800, Cincinnati, OH 45202, USA.
Editorial contributions and inquiries about publishing articles and requirements for manuscripts,
art work, or photographs for publication should be addressed to the editor:
Joseph Tychonievich, magsocietyeditor@gmail.com
Visit the website: www.magnoliasociety.org

4
Garden Overview
Green Bay Botanical Garden is a 47-acre
public garden located in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Consisting of 23.5 acres of developed gar-
den space and 23.5 acres of natural areas, the
garden tends a collection of 68,000 permanent
perennials and woody ornamentals, 17,000
annuals, and 302,000 bulbs. In 2021, the gar-
den celebrated 25 years of welcoming guests to
enjoy garden spaces and varied programming,
including education classes, volunteer days,
and special events like the summer concert
series and the ever-popular holiday light show
named the WPS Garden of Lights.
Historical Background
Green Bay Botanical Garden began as a
dream to create a botanical garden for every-
one to enjoy. The idea for a community garden
took root early on with help from local nature
enthusiasts who were members of the Gar-
deners Club of Green Bay (part of the national
Men’s Garden Clubs of America). This group
regularly talked about the need for a public
arboretum or botanical garden to boost Green
Bay’s already rich cultural reputation.
After forming a Plants in the Urban En-
vironment (PUE) committee, these members
devoted much of their free time to researching
the process of creating a botanical garden. They
visited other public and private garden spaces
throughout Wisconsin and beyond to get more
in-depth and behind-the-scenes knowledge.
It took many years of planning and coordi-
nation before their dream was realized and the
garden was opened for visitors in 1996. A part-
nership was formed with Northeast Wisconsin
Technical College and together a land lease was
signed. The long-term lease provided 30 acres
of the college’s land, originally settled by native
peoples. This land continues to be part of the
Oneida Reservation today, affording Green
Bay Botanical Garden a unique perspective on
land partnership and stewardship, in addition
to opportunities for the garden to work with
the Oneida Nation on conservation projects.
In 2000, the lease was updated to include 13
additional acres, increasing the garden’s overall
acreage to 47.
Green Bay Botanical Garden has been
rooted in community throughout its first 25
years. Since we first opened our doors, guests
of all ages have been able to cultivate green
thumbs, explore the Wisconsin outdoors, and
leave with inspiration to add plants and flowers
to their living spaces at home. This will contin-
ue with the Carol & Bruce Bell Children’s Gar-
den, a natural wonderland where children in
our community and their families will discover
delight and wonder in their surroundings. The
expansion is slated to open in 2023.
Preserving Ledvina’s Legacy:
The Magnolia Collection at
Green Bay Botanical Garden

Mark Konlock
Director of Horticulture
Green Bay Botanical Garden

The Journal of the Magnolia Society International 5
Visitors enjoying the Green Bay Botanical Garden.
Photo credits: Top: John Oates Photography Bottom left: Teresa Riehl Bottom right: C. Gleason

6
Top: Magnolias in bloom at the Green Bay Botanical Garden
Bottom left: ‘Mae Sunrise’ with ‘Purple Star Power’ Bottom Right: ‘Butterflies’ variegated form

Top left: ‘Canary Charm’ Top Right: ‘Daybreak’
Bottom: ‘Simple Pleasures’

8
Top: Magnolia ‘Arctic Star’
Bottom left: ‘Big Dude’ Bottom Right: ‘Butter Bowl’

Magnolias in the Beginning
In the mid-2000s, under the guidance of
former Executive Director Donald Hendricks
and working with local magnolia hybridizer
Dennis Ledvina, the garden started an official
magnolia collection. Space was cleared for the
collection in 2005, with plantings added that
same year. While the garden already had some
magnolia specimens planted when it opened
in 1996, the decision to create a distinct area in
the garden marked the beginning of the gar-
den’s commitment to the development, breed-
ing, growing and preservation of the genus.
The intent of the magnolia collection is to
show the wide range of flower forms, colors,
and plant habits available to home owners and
landscape professionals in the upper Midwest
and similar climates. The collection also pays
homage to the work of local magnolia breed-
er and hybridizer Dennis Ledvina. Although
Ledvina passed away in 2015, he made signifi-
cant contributions to the collection in his life-
time, and much of the garden’s unique selection
of magnolias exists thanks to his work. Inter-
pretive signs in the garden help tell his story,
and speak to his work, all the while providing
context for garden guests visiting after the
unique trees’ blooms have faded.
Ledvina concentrated on breeding mag-
nolias with unique characteristics to adapt to
the cold Wisconsin winters. He introduced
magnolias hardy enough to withstand winters
in USDA plant hardiness Zones 4 and 5. He
also focused on selecting later bloom times to
reduce the impact of late spring frosts on bud
survival and flowering, as magnolia’s typical
blooming period is in early to late spring. Other
unique characteristics from his breeding in-
clude longer blooming periods, narrower trees
to fit smaller landscapes, and greater diversity
of flower form and bloom color.
When Ledvina passed, he was working
with big leaf magnolias as well as his other
hybridizing efforts. Some of the crosses that he
bred include Magnolia ‘Oriental Charm’ x ‘Fruit
Cup’, ‘Silk Road’ x ‘Angel Mist’, and ‘Silk Road’
x ‘Oriental Charm’. Another unique magnolia
in our collection is a variegated form of Magno-
lia ‘Butterflies’.
In 2018, our botanical garden became the
first Plant Collections Network (PCN) site of
the Magnolia Multisite Collection in Wiscon-
sin, and is currently the only PCN collection
of any kind in the state. This distinction is
an honor, especially taking into account our
geographical location. Green Bay is located in
USDA Hardiness zone 5a which is the coldest
of all 17 garden members nationwide.
Magnolia ‘First Love’

10
Top left: ‘Raspberry Glow’ Top right: ‘Holland Rose’
Bottom: ‘Ricki’

Top: The magnolia grove at Green Bay Botanical Gardens. Photo by Teresa Riechl
Bottom left: ‘Royal Splendor’ Bottom Right: ‘Rose Marie’

12
Magnolias in the Future
Changing climates and weather patterns
have encouraged our horticulture team to con-
sider the long-term need for preserving unique
magnolia varieties in our collection.
Currently, we are implementing a disas-
ter preparedness plan by safeguarding the 14
unique taxa exclusive to our collection. The
goal is to duplicate these magnolias and find
them additional homes in case an unexpected
disaster affects our magnolias on site.
As part of the plan, in late summer of
2021, we sent scion wood of unique taxa
including Magnolia ‘Butterflies’ variegated
form, ‘Leach Rosea’, ‘Mae Sunrise’, ‘Champaign’,
and a cultivar currently known as ‘North
Star’ to Hidden Hollow Nursery in Belvidere,
Tennessee, for propagation. Bud grafting was
successful, and once the plants are sent back to
us, one plant will be planted in the garden to
duplicate the taxa onsite, one plant will be sent
to another PCN garden to duplicate the taxa
within the Multisite Magnolia Collection, and
one plant will be shared with another public
garden in Wisconsin, to have another duplicate
in the state. This process of propagating and
distributing unique taxa to multiple locations is
our way of insuring that these rare specimens
can be preserved and enjoyed.
Our next step of the disaster plan is to
propagate the unique bigleaf cultivars in the
garden’s collection and distribute the plants in
the same way.
We’ve also been involved with propagating
some of Ledvina’s last magnolia hybrids. He
owned a lot in Green Bay near the botanical
garden where he had planted out more than
300 magnolia seedlings for evaluation. Unfor-
tunately, he passed away before he was able to
complete his selection of cultivars from these
seedlings.
Propagation of unique taxa at Hidden Hollow Nursery in Belvidere, Tennessee

With the expert help of Dr. Todd West of
North Dakota State University and Matt Lob-
dell of Missouri Botanical Garden, Ledvina’s
remaining seedlings were viewed and evaluated
during the spring of 2021.
Lobdell’s involvement with the Garden
goes back several years. He toured the Gar-
den in 2015 and was impressed after seeing
Ledvina’s work for the first time. After his visit,
Lobdell remarked:
Dennis was a renowned magnolia breeder
and I’ve known many of his plants, but I had
never actually met him or seen his property. It
was just incredible to see what he could do with
so little space.
Like Lobdell, Dr. West, president of Mag-
nolia Society International, emphasized that
this project is critical and prescient in order to
preserve Ledvina’s lifelong work:
Dennis Ledvina spent years hybridizing and
released several of the most amazing hardy mag-
nolia hybrids for Zone 5. This project will allow
for preserving many of his advanced selections
and will allow Dennis’ breeding legacy to live on.
Following Lobdell’s and Dr. West’s visit,
former Horticulturist Ryan Hammes and I
took scion wood from five specimens on this
lot for propagation and planting at the garden.
The plants include the following:
• A white flowered upright form given
the name ‘Icicle’
• A large white-flowered form similar to
‘Big Dude’ called ‘Giant White’
• A light pink form similar to ‘Gold Cup’
called ‘Pink Cup’
• A vibrant pink flowered plant labeled
as ‘Magenta Charm’
• A specimen with alternating pink and
yellow tepals named ‘Pinwheel’.
We’re excited to add these plants to our
magnolia collection onsite at the garden to
further Ledvina’s legacy.
Green Bay Botanical Garden still has
around six developable acres on its property.
To continue carrying Levina’s legacy into the
future the Garden will continue to incorpo-
rate magnolias that extend his goal of cold
hardiness and our own mission of cultivating
an appreciation for the enduring relationship
between plants and people.
Magnolia ‘Gold Cup’

14
Introduction
Indonesia is habitat for 28 species of mag-
nolia, of which six species are endemic to the
country (Linsky et al. 2022). According to the
IUCN Red List (2023), one species of Indo-
nesian magnolia is categorized as Endangered
(EN: M. sulawesiana), one species is Near
Threatened (NT: M. borneensis), 5 species are
Least Concern (LC), and 21 species or 75%
are assessed as Data Deficient (DD). The main
threats to Indonesian Magnolia species are
habitat conversion and unsustainable biological
use. For those species with DD status, further
studies are required to confirm their current
population status, distribution and threats.
Magnolia banghamii (Noot.) Figlar & Noot.
is a narrow endemic species in Aceh Province,
Indonesia. The species is known only from two
specimens collected from one location in Ben-
er Meriah, Aceh Province in 1932 (Nooteboom
1994; Figlar and Nooteboom 2004). These type
specimens are incomplete as the perianth of
the flower is not present. Currently, the species
is assessed as DD by the IUCN Red List due to
lack of information on the existing population,
threats and quality of habitat (Khela 2014).
Furthermore, the species is not present in any
ex situ collections (BGCI 2023).
In the present study, we conducted popula-
tion surveys to enhance the conservation of M.
banghamii. The objectives are to: i) assess the
current population of M. banghamii, including
its population size and structure, distribution,
and habitat preferences, ii) update the conser-
vation status of the species following the IUCN
Red List categories and criteria, and iii) collect
plant material to be cultivated and serve to
initiate an ex situ collection of this species.
Materials and Methods
Surveys for M. banghamii were conducted
using a focused survey method (Brewer 2013)
at eight locations: seven locations (Bur Oregon,
Mutiara Baru, RRI, Oregon Tingkem, Pantan
Sile, Uning Tritit, and Rembele) in Bener Me-
riah Regency and one location (Tapak Moge)
in Aceh Tengah Regency (Figure 1). Uning
Tritit, located in the Regency of Bener Meriah,
is the where the type specimens were collected.
When an individual of the species was found,
Population study and conservation of
Magnolia banghamii, a narrow endemic tree in
Sumatra Island, Indonesia

Iyan Robiansyah1
*, Enggal Primananda1
, Wendy A. Mustaqim2
, Yusuf Sigit Ahmad Fau-
zan1
, Ahmad Yudis Mahardhika1
, Zulfan Arico2
, Andri Yusman Persada2
, Jean Linsky3
1
Research Center for Plant Conservation, Botanic Gardens and Forestry, National Research and
Innovation Agency, Jl.Ir.H. Juanda 13, Bogor, West Java 16003 Indonesia
2
Department of Biology, Universitas Samudra, Jl. Prof. Dr. Syarief Thayeb, Langsa, Aceh 24416
Indonesia
3
Atlanta Botanical Garden, GA 30309, Atlanta, GA, USA.
*Email: iyan.robiansyah@brin.go.id, iyanrobiansyah@yahoo.com

its location was recorded using a GPS receiv-
er, and its height as well as diameter at breast
height (dbh) were measured. The following
environmental variables were measured near
each individual: elevation (m above sea level),
slope, aspect/slope direction, and topography
(valley, slope, or ridge). Furthermore, observed
possible threats to the population of M. bang-
hamii were also recorded. We collected plant
materials (seeds, seedlings, and/or cuttings as
encountered) to be cultivated and serve as ex
situ collections at the Arboretum of Universitas
Samudra and Bogor Botanic Gardens.
We used the results of our study to up-
date the conservation status of M. banghamii
according to the IUCN Red List categories and
criteria (IUCN 2012). Due to data availability
constraints, we only used criteria B (geographic
range), C (small population size and decline),
and D (very small or restricted population) to
assess the extinction risk of the species. The
extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occu-
pancy (AOO) of the species used in criterion
B were calculated using GeoCAT (Bachman et
al. 2011). For criterion C and D, the population
size of the species was estimated based on the
total number of mature individuals.
Figure 1 Survey locations of Magnolia banghamii in the Regency of Bener Meriah and Aceh
Tengah, Aceh Province. The locations are: (1) Bur Oregon; (2) Mutiara Baru; (3) RRI; (4) Oregon
Tingkem; (5) Pantan Sile; (6) Uning Tritit; (7) Rembele; (8) Tapak Moge.
Red dots indicate survey locations where the species was relocated.

16
Results and Discussion
From the eight surveyed locations, the
species was only located at its type location
(Uning Tritit) and one additional new location
at Tapak Moge with a total of eight individuals.
Of these, only one individual was observed to
be in a mature stage with dbh and height of 49
cm and 27 m, respectively (Figure 2a-e). The
species preferred slope areas (32.8±7.4⁰) at an
elevation range of 1378-1750 m. In the present
study, the species was found at a much higher
elevation than the type specimens, which were
collected at an elevation of c. 1100 m (Noote-
boom 1994). Compared to other Sumatran
endemic Magnolia, the elevation range of M.
banghamii is lower than of M. calophylloides
(2000-2200 m) but similar to that of M. suma-
trae (1500-2000 m) and M. sumatrana (600-
1300 m) (Nooteboom 1988).
The only mature individual we found in the
study sites was not in the flowering or fruiting
stage. Therefore, the new voucher specimens
we made (Figure 2f) contained only the vege-
tative parts of the tree and could not be used
to complete the description of the perianth,
which is still unknown. Although without its
generative organs, the species could be firmly
identified as M. banghamii using the following
vegetative key characters: hairy young twigs,
petiole 14-50 mm with adnate stipule for at
least one-third of its length, and leaves 7-12 by
3-7 cm with 10-12 pairs of secondary nerves
and sparsely puberulous beneath when young.
In the field, using these characters, we could
differentiate M. banghamii from M. cham-
paca, the most closely related species, which
has generally larger leaves which are sparsely
pubescent instead of puberulous beneath when
young, a greater number of lateral veins, and
pubescent rather than puberulous indument.
We observed that habitat conversion into
coffee plantations, settlements, and agricultural
areas is the main threat to the species (Figure
3a-c). All the individuals were found in small
forest fragments located in the middle of coffee
plantations. Due to extensive land clearing, half
of the located individuals were in a coppice
form; growing from cut stumps. Bener Meriah
and Aceh Tengah are two regencies with the
highest arabica coffee production in Aceh
Province (BPS Provinsi Aceh 2019), with more
than 679,409 people engaged in coffee farm-
ing in 2012 (Hikmah et al. 2014). In addition,
we observed that most of the areas with an
elevation of less than 1200 m in both regencies
have been converted into settlements. This is
the reason that our survey located the species
in areas above 1300 m. During the survey, we
observed that the species is also threatened
by habitat degradation due to illegal logging
activities by local people (Figure 3d).
Conservation status assessment
Based on the calculation of GeoCAT, the
EOO and AOO of the species are 12 km2
.
Under criterion B of the IUCN Red List, the
species qualifies for the category of Endan-
gered (EN) B1ab(i,ii,iii, iv)+B2ab(i,ii,iii,iv), i.e.
EOO < 5.000 km2 (B1), AOO < 500 km2 (B2),
number of locations < 5 (a), and continuing
decline (b) in EOO (i), AOO (ii), area, extent
and quality of habitat (iii), and number of
mature individuals (iv).
As the number of mature individuals is
only one, under criterion C the species could
be assessed as Critically Endangered (CR)
C2a(i), i.e. continuing decline (in any rate) in
the population size (C2) and number of mature
individuals in each subpopulation < 50 (a(i)).
For criterion D, the species qualifies for CR D
as the number of mature individuals < 50.

Figure 2 Morphological appearances of the mature individual of Magnolia banghamii observed in
the study sites: habit (a), trunk (b) buttress root (c), inner bark (d), leaves (e) and herbarium voucher (f).

18
Since only the criteria for the highest
category of threat that the taxon qualifies for
should be listed, here we propose CR C2a(i),
D as the conservation status of M. banghamii.
Under this category, the species is considered
to be facing an extremely high risk of extinc-
tion in the wild. Comprehensive and immedi-
ate conservation actions are required to ensure
the survival of the species and its habitats.
Species conservation
The areas where the species is located are
unprotected. Therefore, increasing the pro-
tection of these areas is urgently needed to
support the conservation of the species in situ.
To ensure the future survival of the species, ex
situ conservation of the species is also required
as the threats are still ongoing. Therefore, one
wild seedling of the species has been collected
and is currently cultivated at the Arboretum
of Universitas Samudra (Figure 4). This ex situ
collection will serve as a material source for
population reinforcement programs and is ef-
fective media for public awareness campaigns.
Further surveys are recommended to confirm
the species population size and structure,
distribution, and threats.This work contributes
to conservation goals under the Global Con-
servation Consortium for Magnolia including
identifying species of greatest conservation
concern, developing high conservation value
ex situ collections and increasing awareness of
Magnolia conservation issues.
Acknowledgments
The study was fully supported by The Magnolia
Society International (MSI) Research Fund 2022.
Figure 3 The main threats to the population of Magnolia banghamii: coffee plantation (a), settlement
(b), agricultural fields (c), and illegal logging (d)..

We would like to thank Lembaga Penelitian, Peng-
abdian Kepada Masyarakat dan Penjaminan Mutu
(LPPM PM) Universitas Samudra for acquiring the
research permit.
References
1. Bachman S, Moat J, Hill AW, De La Torre
J, Scott B. 2011. Supporting Red List threat as-
sessments with GeoCAT: geospatial conservation
assessment tool. ZooKeys, 150:117-126.
2. BGCI. 2023. PlantSearch online database.
Botanic Gardens Conservation International.
Richmond, U.K. Available at https://tools.bgci.org/
plant_search.php. Accessed on 12 February 2023.
3. BPS Provinsi Aceh. 2019. Provinsi Aceh
Dalam Angka 2019. Aceh, Indonesia: Badan Pusat
Statistik Provinsi Aceh.
4. Brewer S. 2013. How to survey an area for
threatened tree species. Cambridge, UK: Fauna &
Flora International.
5. Figlar RB, Nooteboom HP. 2004. Notes on
Magnoliaceae IV. Blumea 49(1):87-100.
6. Hikmah, Hamzah A, Nasir M. 2014. Anal-
isis produksi dan ekspor komoditas kopi arabica
di Kabupaten Bener Meriah dan Kabupaten Aceh
Tengah. Jurnal Ilmu Ekonomi: Program Pascasarja-
na Unsyiah 2(2):22-30.
7. IUCN. 2012. IUCN red list categories and
criteria. Version 3.1. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.
8. IUCN 2023. The IUCN Red List of Threat-
ened Species. Version 2022-2. https://www.iucnre-
dlist.org Accessed on 13 February 2022.
9. Khela S. 2014. Magnolia banghamii.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014:
e.T15112410A15112413. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/
IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T15112410A15112413.en.
Accessed on 13 February 2022.
10. Linsky, J., Crowley, D., Beckman Bruns,
E., Coffey, E.E.D. (2022). Global Conservation Gap
Analysis of Magnolia. Atlanta, GA.
11. Botanical Garden Nooteboom HP. 1994.
Michelia banghamii (Magnoliaceae), a new species
from Sumatra. Blumea, 38: 334.
12. Nooteboom HP. 1988. Magnoliaceae.
Michelia. Flora Malesiana 1(10):598-605.
Figure 4 Ex-situ collection of Magnolia banghamii cultivated at the Arboretum of Universitas Samudra,
Aceh Province.

20
Bob Cherry with some of his magnolia hybrids.

This may be the first article to come to
you from Tasmania, Australia. Most magnolia-
philes are aware of our eastern neighbour, New
Zealand’s, contribution to the development of
hybrid magnolias. This article will acquaint you
with ongoing work in Tasmania.
The name of Robert (“Bob”) J. Cherry is
very well-known among horticultural circles
throughout Australia and New Zealand. He
has had a very long career as a professional
nurseryman, plant explorer, and plant breeder.
This career has been based upon very hard
work, travels to China, Vietnam, New Guinea,
Europe, and other regions. Bod’s travels to
China and Vietnam allowed him access to in-
teresting forms of magnolias. Of great interest
were the forms of Magnolia laevigata with close
internodes, tetraploids, forms with very open
flowers, greenish to lime flowered forms, and
double flowered forms. He has collected and
selected from the wild and later hybridized
many genera including but not limited to Acer,
Camellia, Lithocarpus, Magnolia (as Michelia,
mainly), Malus, Osmanthus, Photinia, Polyspo-
ra, Prunus, Rhododendrons (including vireyas),
Schima, and others. His wild collected plant
material is found in a number of Australian
botanical gardens.
Bob is also known as a breeder of smaller
ornamentals like Begonia, Gloxinia, Lavandu-
la, Lilium, Papaver, Primula, Rosa and others.
Handing Bob Cherry a pollinating brush is
akin to handing Rembrandt a paintbrush, as
will be seen in the illustrations. This compli-
ment must be shared with his well-trained
former employees whom he supervised.
This article will describe Bob’s activities
in hybridising magnolias of the former genus,
Michelia.
In this article, I shall use the term michelia
as a purely horticultural descriptor, in the way
that azalea is used to describe smaller rhodo-
dendrons derived from relatively few species.
In this sense, I refer to evergreen magnolias
with rather small leaves that produce numer-
ous, often fragrant, flowers in the leaf axils, all
of them formerly included in a separate genus,
Michelia. Otherwise, botanical Latin will be
used.
For his michelia breeding program, Bob
has used many of his own selections from the
wild or from Chinese cultivars and occasion-
ally another breeder’s selection which will be
credited. Good parents are a prerequisite for
good progeny.
The table on the next page describes his
source plants. Most of them produce white
flowers.
A wide range of primary crosses were
done between these species with the aim of
combining desirable traits in first generation
hybrids. Thousands of these hybrids were
subjected to critical review and culling. The
second generation combined the best forms
with others that had desirable characteristics
e.g. combining the best dwarf forms to achieve
good colour, growth habit and showy, visible
flowers.
The Magnolias of Bob Cherry and
his Paradise Plants Nursery

Neil Mitchell
Forthside, Tasmania

22
The nursery industry in general has
avoided propagating michelias because they
can present an opportunity cost relative to
more easily grown genera. Clearly, the most
successful and commercial selections of Bob’s
advanced generation hybrids will be easily
propagated from cuttings and be able to flower
within two years. That said, a range of tree-like
forms has resulted that will hold great appeal
in the market for small to medium trees.
Bob works in a very favourable climatic
zone – mild maritime Mediterranean. His
seedlings can flower in two or three years from
germination.
This contrasts with Todd West’s obser-
vation at the MSI meeting in Sweden in 2017
about various speakers’ tales of woe, “My
climate is worse than yours” (Dr West won the
comparison). Bob Cherry lives in temperate
northwest Tasmania, Australia. In July (winter)
the mean minimum temperature is 3.6 °C (38.5
°F), and January (summer) the mean maxi-
mum tempature is 20.6 °C (69 °F), and a mean
annual rainfall of 96 cm (27 inches). As if this
were not irritating enough, Bob has very fertile
basalt derived soil to work with.
Bob’s commercial introductions usually
appear through his Paradise trademark. His

first michelia hybrids to enter the market have
been aimed at gardeners who may want to use
them as flowering hedges that respond well to
clipping. This contrasts with the Jury michelias
from New Zealand that are more tree-like in
growth habit. Bob’s introductions are labelled
as part of the Princess series, with cultivar
names, ‘Paradise Cinderella’, ‘Paradise Little
Sarah’ and ‘Paradise Cleopatra’. The contribu-
tion of Magnolia figo and Magnolia laevifolia
to these hybrids is fairly obvious even though
additional species were involved.
Of these, ‘Cleopatra’ gives a hint as to
what more might be expected in terms of
colour. These three hybrids have only limit-
ed scent and all have single flowers but they
bloom heavily. These cultivars are distin-
guished from three introductions by the Jury
nursery of New Zealand by their smaller
dimensions.
Top left: 'Paradise Little Sarah' Top right: 'Paradise Cindarella'
Bottom left: 'Paradise Cleopatra' Bottom right: An unnamed, long-flowering selection.
Photos of the three "Princess" selections courtesy of Paradise Plants.

24
It is more exciting to turn to some of
Bob’s advanced generation complex hybrids.
They can be expected to grow well in warm
temperate climates over a huge area including
the southern and western coasts of mainland
Europe, Ireland, Cornwall, South Africa, the
west coast of the USA, the southeast of the
USA, much of Mexico, temperate and sub-
tropical eastern Asia, Uruguay, southeastern
Brazil, and most of non-alpine New Zealand,
Chile, and Argentina. The images in this article
have never been published before and they are
intended to give a sample of what is appearing
in advanced generation hybrids that have a
more complex ancestry than the above three
introductions. None of them has been named
and they are included here to show the horti-
cultural potential of michelias.
The growth habits range from compact
shrubs to small trees with an arching growth
habit to fastigiate small trees. The flowers may
remain almost closed at maturity or open out
flat. There are self-coloured whites, self-co-
loured creams, self-coloured yellows, flowers
with purple eye zones (purple colouration at
the base of the tepals), purple picotee edges,
flowers that are purplish on the outer surface of
the tepals and cream or white within and one
individual with an unusual slate-grey to mauve
flowers. The best time to visit Tasmania to see
them is in spring, from September to October,
but many continue flowering throughout the
growing season. Individual seedlings have a
peak flowering time that can range from that of
their the earliest blooming ancestor (Magnolia
doltsopa) to that of the last to start blooming
(Magnolia figo). Fragrance also involves a
randomized mix of the ancestral species; many
are very attractively scented, some have limited
scent (like Magnolia laevifolia) but none have
an unattractive scent.
In conclusion, new cultivars of michelias
are approaching the stage of registration and
propagation for commercial sale. In many
ways, michelias have received less attention
than their deciduous relatives, the magnolias
of section Yulania. So many striking hybrids
of deciduous magnolias have been raised since
the time of D. Todd Gresham, yet michelias
offer something to owners of smaller gardens
and to those in warmer climates where hot, low
humidity summer winds erase the possibility
of growing deciduous magnolias.
Various unnamed hybrids from Bob's breeding program.

26

The Rhododendron, Camellia & Magnolia Group
Three groups of plants, one group of enthusiasts worldwide!
If you share a love of rhododendrons,
camellias and magnolias, join us!
Beneﬁts include a yearbook, regular
newsletters, tours, talks and annual
seed list.
Visit www.rhodogroup-rhs.org
for full details

The Joirnal of magnolia society international

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