Michelia Figo Tree
Question from Dave:
We’re planning on planting Mexican sage in a full sun area in zone 24. Can you suggest a plant with similar hardiness characteristics that has a red flower or a white flower?
Answer from Pat:
In my opinion the plant that looks best next to Mexican sage (Salvia leucantha) is Copper Canyon daisy (Tagetes lemonii), but it is neither red nor white, it is bright yellow. The great thing is that it blooms at exactly the same time as Mexican sage, spring and fall, requires about the same amount of water and is equal in size. (Cut it back hard after bloom in spring and then it covers itself with small golden yellow flowers again in fall, cut back more lightly in fall.) These two plants are a simply stunning combination since the purple of the sage sings next to the golden yellow of the tagetes. (Cut back Mexican sage lightly in fall after bloom and then cut old spent stems to the ground in late February when new basal foliage is 8 or 10 inches tall.)
Another plant that looks good with Mexican sage is Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’. (Shear it several times a year to keep it in compact and stop it from splitting in the middle.) The silvery foliage of the artemisia is almost white and so this is a good contrast to the purple flowers of the salvia. I have also seen red fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’ )next to Salvia leucantha and it was a nice combination covering a bank. Though not pure red this selection of fountain grass with the bronzy foliage is in the red family. (Cut back pennisetum all the way to the ground in fall with the first rain and you get a whole new plant that springs from the ground with the first rain and flowers again in summer. After cutting back feed with lawn food.) Autumn sage (Salvia greggii) is red but the blooms tend to spot the plant rather than blanket it with bloom. also it is smaller than the sage. Other ideas include several grevilleas with red blooms, but these are often short-lived. Yet another idea is Eulalia grass (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’) that catches the light beautifully in evening if sun shines through it then. It has silvery white to coppery plumes and I’ve seen it combined with Mexican sage and looking nice on a bank. Cut back in late fall or winter when blooms fade. I have also seen a mass of white achillea (Achillea tomentosum) next to Tagetes lemonii and Salvia leucantha and I thought it looked good, but it was the height of bloom.
The photos you have sent me are of sweet michelia (Michelia doltsopa ‘Silver Cloud’). Google the name Michelia doltsopa ‘Silver Cloud’ on the internet and you will find photos of the same flower as shown in the photos you sent me.
Thank you, Pat. It looks like a fabulous tree and more leafy than other doltsopas I have seen. Will pass this on to the guys in the SE who could not figure it out:)! Many thanks. Have you seen a mature one? What do you think is its maximum height in our area?
According to Sunset Western Garden Book a specimen of Michelia doltsopa is fast growing. When young it may grow several feet a year and later slow down. One specimen has grown 25 feet tall in 25 years in San Francisco. Monrovia Nursery carries M. doltsopa ‘Silver Cloud’, so if you wish to purchase a specimen, be sure to tell your local nursery to order it from Monrovia. Monrovia also claims on their website that its mature size is 40 feet high and 25 feet wide. My opinion is this tree has not been in cultivation in Southern California long enough for us to know how tall it will grow here. Often trees develop a different height in cultivation, sometimes taller and sometimes shorter than in their native locality. One thing is for sure, however, and that is that this is not a drought-resistant tree. It needs deep soil, good drainage, and ample irrigation, especially in hot weather.
There are several other smaller and more compact michelias, such as M. figo, which you already mentioned, M. champaca, M. x foggii, M. yunnanensis, and others. All these plants are recent introductions into the United States and due to their very fragrant flowers and evergreen foliage they are causing quite a stir, especially as an alternative to magnolias to which they are related.
My family has had Michelia figo in our yard my whole life back in Georgia. It is a smell I adore. I have one in a pot in Laguna. At home in GA we cut it back frequently. It is not a very pretty shrub and my father really doesn’t like it much but it came from my great grandmother’s yard and the rest of us adore it. Especially when it is blooming.
The only doltsopa I have known in CA is in Hortense Miller’s yard. It has been there quite awhile and it very tall and leggy. Not a very attractive tree. BUT love its flowers. This Silver Cloud is fantastic with its thick larger dark green leaves with the brown underside. More like a magnolia. It is very dense as you can see from the pictures but they are planted in very sunny open spaces and not competing for light. We have some other Michelias in my parents’ yard in Augusta– a couple are newly classified magnolias. I just love the flowers on all of these.
I am thinking of suggesting this tree to a neighbor whose garden is more spacious than mine.
I will be interested to hear how your plans for this tree work out and whether your dreams of having this tree in your neighborhood come to fruition