Filoli has some Magnolia that are spectacular when in bloom. Al

Jackie,
If I'm not mistaken both UC San Diego and California State University, San Diego both have many lovely Magnolia trees on their campuses. If I am remembering correctly, there is a long walkway on Cal State San Diego's campus lined with mature Magnolias, and UCSD has received Arbor Day awards for their forestry practices, with many Magnolias on their campus. I would call both campuses to see about their trees and best times to capture blooms. I know it's not Orange County, but it may be worth the drive!

Patty S.

Here is a link that might be useful: UC San Diego Named

Check with--no joke--Fairhaven Cemetary in Santa Ana. They have many old trees and there is space between each tree so you can get a good shot in isolation without a lot of other foliage in the photo. Trees can be tough to photograph. If there is a lot of massed foliage in the background, you can't easily isolate the tree. Its a bit early for blooms, isn't it? I think they are more in the April/May time frame, though I can't remember. There's a big one in front of my Mom and Dad's old house. The petals would be bigger than my hand.

If you are talking about deciduous Magnolia's such as M. soulangeana, then you may be hard pressed to find a really beautiful specimen in southern California, as poor water quality and/or heat and smog seem to greatly affect their looks, at least as I remember seeing them in the Brentwood/Santa Monica/Venice Beach area.

The Magnolia's are looking incredible here in the SF Bay Area, and have been in full bloom since January, with prime display long past for some of the earliest blooming ones. San Francisco's Botanic Garden in Golden Gate Park has some magnificent large deciduous tree Magnolia's in full bloom right now, if you want an image of something 50 feet tall in full bloom, come up for a visit, or there are some incredible large Magnolia grandiflora trees in Dolores Park in San Francisco also.

If you are talking about evergreen Magnolia, M. grandiflora, that is another story, shouldn't be a problem to find some good ones down there.

Huntington Botanical Gardens