Oh brother, WisconsinTom, I have studied extensively on Monsanto, their products, their GMO crops and you have no clue. But keep after it you are getting paid well by Monsanto I'm sure. But as you try and pretend to be the "reasonable" one here, I will remind the others that you are the one that named called with your post by starting out the "level of ignorance here in the above post" dated Sept 18. You were talking about me in that post, but you have no clue to my education on the subject or scientific research people in my family have done on the subject. The only knee jerk reactions are your own and I could school you on the subject but will not waste my time. I hope you are getting paid well. Oh and lastly Europe has totally outlawed all GMO crops, as has Hawaii except for the grandfathered in Papaya. But ignore all the recent scientific studies that came out this year on what's killing bees and monarchs among other insects and yes I remember the ads by tobacco companies that said their was no evidence that smoking caused lung cancer too....lol This post was edited by joeinmo on Mon, Sep 29, 14 at 20:14

I don't blame you for being concerned, I think there are few trees as majestic as the Southern Magnolia. I had one planted on my front lawn here in SW Florida 13 months ago, - just outside my screened lanai, A 20 ft tall gem that is now loaded with foot wide, intensely aromatic white blossoms that draw the attention of everyone who walks by. IMHO, well worth the effort and expense. It too has a mild case of fungus on the very bottom leaves, something I plan to eliminate soon by giving it a single spraying of copper sulfate, ( on both sides of the leaves as well as the trunk ). Lowes, Home Depot and Walmart all sell the plastic jugs of sulfate as well as the spray bottle that screws onto the garden hose. In your case three sprayings may be needed, each one two weeks apart. My best advice, not an expert, - perhaps other contributors may have a different solution. Good luck ! This post was edited by jofus on Sun, Jul 13, 14 at 8:35

I hate to get subscribed to another thread, but isn't the use of growth regulators fairly widespread among wholesalers these days? To produce a nice, perfectly rounded bushy plant...cutting grown magnolias can otherwise be gawky. Could some of those inhibit bloom for a few years? Kenwoods and j0nd03 are correct that some cultivars just seem to be more floriferous than others though, and so maybe that's what is going on. OP still hasn't stated if tree is in full sun or not, right? Certainly, even as "not very far north" as DC, you'd want a So' Mag to be in as close to full sun as possible, to bloom well. Mag. grandiflora, overall, has been known to grow and bloom well in areas with cool summers. I even saw one in Queenstown, NZ, though not blooming at that time of year. Summers there are somewhat chillier than Seattle or London - even Trachycarpus fortuneis there seemed to be struggling to survive. (but the native Cordyline australis look great, of course!) It's not like the first Cornus florida in the UK, that took some absurd amount of time to bloom and never became a part of English horticulture. Or crape myrtles.

Embothrium, yes, it is certainly pretty and has the shape I need, though other pictures of it I searched online also show that it can have multiple trunks. Problem is it would overwhelm the space in no time and has a pretty fast rate of growth. I am thinking of returning the Jane shrub because the rate of growth, according to the National Arboretum, is only a foot a year. I'm in my 60s now. I'd like to be able to appreciate a 'tree' now. I also don't like the big leaves. They are pretty shaped but I can just see a messy cleanup in the future. I have too much work as it is. The last thing I need is more. I would really like a lacy type tree with small leaves that allows diffused light to filter into my garden (not a shade tree), that doesn't put out seed or fruit (fruit, because of the fireblight problem). I was tending towards the flowering plum but that is also susceptible according to my cooperative extension. There is a business across the street that has over a dozen flowering pear trees and every one of them has severe fireblight. Since they are not going to take down their trees anytime soon (it would probably cost them a fortune to do so) it's best that I don't plant anything that is susceptible to that disease. I also do not want a tree that is taller than 20' X 20'. 20' wide would be pushing the limits. Any suggestions?