Michelia alba, champaca and Cananga odorata

17 years ago

Hi all,

I would really like to aquire Michelia (Magnolia) champaca and M. x alba, plus Cananga odorata (ylang ylang).

I am in zone 9, Devon(UK)which has a very mild climate and M. Doltsopa, Dianica and Figo grow vigorously in my garden. What would be a minimum temperature for the champaca/alba and Cananga plants? I have a heated greenhouse for winter just in case. I'm wondering how viable they would be in pots?

I have not been able to find a reliable source in the UK for the more tender Michelias and the Cananga so this remains a 'wish list'.

Incidentally - how would the combined fragrances of all three be like together? I have not experienced any of them, but I am intrigued and going by recommendation from this and many other forums on which they are often mentioned.

Jim

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TsTonia Ranson

7 years ago

I've made it! From N.E. Lincs.

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Comments (12)

jimshy
16 years ago
Jim,

Others with more experience can chime in, but I'm pretty sure these are all true tropicals; they need temps to be in the 50s or above. My michelia champaca gets leaf burn and damage when nights get into the 40s, and root rot is a real issue at those temps as well.

Technically, all can be grown in big pots -- I'm guessing the alba would be the easiest, the cananga the hardest, as it gets big and needs to be at least (6-8ft?) tall before blooming.

The other issue is how to give them enough light, especially in winter, even in a greenhouse environment.

I'd say your best bet is trying to contact Kew or the RHS or another big botanical garden to see if they grow any of these, and if so, where they got 'em.

Have no idea about the combined fragrance, I'm still waiting for my first champaca bloom! Dianica is outstanding, IMHO.

Good luck!

JimShy
jimn
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks very much for the response, No luck with finding a source for the tender michelias (now magnolias)for me, but I am lucky in having M. doltsopa and M. doltsopa 'Silver Cloud', m. dianica, and M. figo.

I have just discovered that a nearby (massive) planting has the Cananga odorata- the Eden Project in Cornwall. I would recommend any visitor to the UK from overseas investigating this unique garden.

Jim
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I bought a C. Fruticosa because it is a dwarf variety (10-15 ft height) and could not have the preferred C. Odorata, which is a very large tree (50 + ft in height) in my garden. The smell of the Fruticosa is a very subtle lemony fragance, mostly felt in the calm of the morning in my area. The flowers are first green in color and will not be fragrant until they turn yellow. It also needs temperatures of 85+ F and humidity, which is no problem in South Florida, where I reside. I regularly visit a botanical garden in my area where they have a huge C. Odorata (Ylang-Ylang) tree and when it is in bloom, the fragance is much stronger and nicer than the Fruticosa I have. It fills the surrounding area with its delicious fragance but there are many more hundreds of flowers on this tree than on my dwarf variety. I also bought a Michelia Champaca (Joy perfume) which has orange flowers and is not as "delicate" as the Michelia Alba (white). I bought it 2 years ago, and it is now about 8 ft tall. This spring, it flowered for the first time. A few scattered flowers mainly in the lower (older) branches. This fragance is definitely much nicer and stronger than the C. Fruticosa. I cannot wait until it grows more mature and gets full with flowers. This tree has a nice structure (similar to a Christmas pine) and can grow to about 25-30 ft. I planted it just outside the patio so we can enjoy the fragance from inside. I hope this was helpful.
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I will post a pic or two of my Ylang2 and the michelas as soon as they flower. It will take a while for the former tho as they're still young plants but the michelas will hopefully flower this Summer(fingers crossed). Ive bought another batch of Ylang2 seeds from an ebay seller and I was hoping this time id hit the jockpot. Its got a harvest date on it (May 2008) and Im sure that they should be fresh enough to germinate. Its only $3.00 so I wouldnt be too disappointed if it turns out be another dud batch. I love the scent of Ylang2 so much I've bought Givenchy's Amarige fragrance. Ive purchased the cheapest smallest bottle and dab some on my pillowsheets, bedsheets and towels. I know Im a nut but the scent is very relaxing (for me, that is). Im 10000% sure that the actual flowers will be fantastic. Regarding the M Albas, I've heard they only come in grafted form. Ive read somewhere that they do not bear figs/fruits not like the M Champacas. Therefore people tend to grow Champacas from seeds then graft the Albas on them. This way they will bear flowers quickly. Im thinking of grafting some Albas myself. If successful I will send you one (if you still want one ie). This will take a WHILE tho (maybe 2 to 3 years) as I still have to sow the Champacs seeds first. Ive got them from Ebay (again) and they didnt look very promising unfortunately. * Sigh * Post some flower pics of your plants too. Im sure they'll be awesome.
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fragrant_bloom
15 years ago
Can someone who has both (M. champaca and C. odorata) tell me which one has nicer smell? Subjectively of course.
grow_power
15 years ago
I have both M. Alba and Ylang ylang. I have to say I prefer M. Alba much more, but it's a scent that I grew up with in Asia.

On the hardiness issue. Mine are planted outdoors with no prob. The M. Alba is a taller than I am now, and I grew it from something that was 4 ft tall. YY is still pretty small.

Have you tried looking in asian markets in the UK? Here in the US, chinese markets are places where you can reliably get M. Alba for sure. YY is a little harder.

Good luck.

_A
tropical_philippines
15 years ago
I agree with grow_power. The M. alba is more fragrant than the C. odorata.

While both trees have powerful fragrances that can reach large distances, it is the sweet, tropical, fruity, banana-apple like scent of the michelia alba that I'm addicted to.

If you prefer a more 'feminine' fragrance however, the Cananga odorata's sweet and refreshing citrus fragrance with tamarind overtones will be a better choice. It grows into a very large tree in tropical climates and its fragrance is strongest just after sunset.

tropical
madhumathir
7 years ago

Hi all. Having trouble with my Shenbagam (tamil name for Michela Champaca). I am in Chennai. The plant in the pic is the 2nd sapling of Michela champaca in which the leaves are turning black and starting to dry/wither off...anyone can help as to the cause....? attaching a pic of the stem as well...
fragrant2008
7 years ago
Hi jimn nice to see some one from England here :) I grow a crazy list of fragrant plants and i can tell you that both Michelia (Magnolia) champaca and M. x alba are true tropicals, with champaca being slightly more hardy then the alba form. It is still possible to gown them in pots and give them winter protection. I move mine into frost free greenhouse set to go no lower then 5c and they do fine. If you can find it go for Magnolia sirindhorniae just as fragrant as alba but more cold hardy! You might even get away with it out doors down sunny devon. I have tried growing
Cananga odorata and although it grows fine i do not believe we have the length of summer time to get it into flower i have had far more luck with the ylang ylang vine
fragrant2008
7 years ago
Lol having written all that! i just realized how old this post is :P
wanna_run_faster
7 years ago
I ve had the yellow michela, the michela Alba and the ylang ylang. The yellow michela and the ylang ylang grow well from fresh seeds. If you want to go that route, top tropicals or Tradewinds tropical seeds should have seeds. Gardinos has all 3 as plants, not sure if they can ship overseas. These are all fast growing big trees ;)

As as far as fragrance, I had the 3 in a front yard (well the yellow was technically in my neighbors yard). They all seemed to go thru bloom cycles and actually didn't seem to bloom at the same time. The yellow really did seem to smell like joy perfume, the Alba smelled just like juicy fruit gum, and the ylang ylang smelled very similiar to bath & body works ylang ylang products. I liked them all about equally. For comparison, some of my favorite scents are jasmine maid of Orleans and Brunsfelsia gigantica.
z8000939
7 years ago
can anyone advise where one can purchase a michalia champaca/alba plant, either in the UK or EU, i keep searching, only get US hits? Any suggestions will be appreciated
fragrant2008
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Hi no one in the Uk sells either! but you can buy other Michelias but not them two! Your best bet is here but you may have to translate the page as it is German or try ebay http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.pflanzenkindergarten.de/&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dwww.pflanzenkindergarten.de%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3D5GS%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-GB:official%26channel%3Dnp

Michelia alba, champaca and Cananga odorata

TsTonia Ranson

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jimshy

jimn
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Michelia alba, champaca and Cananga odorata

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