Sharon, having grown up in the south, I love magnolias. You could sit on the front porch on a warm summer evening and exprience what I like to call the fragrance of the south when the magnolias were in bloom.

When we bought our house in AR, we had a magnolia planted in the yard, however, it hasn't done very well. It has struggled, but we still have it. We don't have much shade in AR and since it is an upper story plant, I don't hold much hope for it.

When we inherited my brother's home in FL, I was thrilled that there was a magnolia grandiflora in the front yard. It has been blooming for several years now, and I enjoy spotting the buds and watching them open. This year, when our son and daughter-in-law were visiting, I was able to take our daughter-in-law out in the yard to experience a bloom's wonderful fragrance.

In 2004, we had three hurricanes pass through DeLand, and two huge oak trees were destroyed, but growing beside the two stumps was another magnolia! It hasn't bloomed yet, but I'm hopeful one of these days I will see a bloom on it. There is yet another one in the yard, which I have hopes of seeing bloom. I have an eye on several seedlings, too.

We had a horrific ice storm in '09 and at that time the magnolia that I started from seed was about 6 feet tall and the heavy ice bent it over and it froze to the ground. Stayed that way for about 7 days and I was determined to leave it alone, afraid it would break if I tried to un-stick it from the icy ground. I just knew it was lost. But no! It finally bounced right back up when the thaw came and in 2011 it had its first bloom! I'm guessing if they can survive that kind of treatment, they'll last much longer than I will!

This year it had several blooms on it and now I'm even enjoying its display of red seed pods. Yes about the southern scent, nothing like it! I hope yours do well and I truly know how you feel about them! Jean, I think we both need to always have magnolias in our lives!