They need to put a link by "Related Forums" above.

I'm confused. With an acre, it sounds like you could plant (a) both of the trees you like and (b) a full-size magnolia if you choose that option - all you have to do is expand your thinking beyond the boundaries of the flower bed. That aside, growing conditions strike me as being of paramount importance and would seem to me to suggest neither of these trees, unless you find a way to water with grey water, which I've been doing for years and can vouch for. KarinL

It's difficult to say what happened to your tree/shrub Julia. It could be anything from growing stress last year, which caused it to not produce flower buds. It could be freeze damage which cause the still unopened, but expanding buds to be fried. It could be planted in too much shade, as this Magnolia really does best in full sun, especially in your climate. It could be transplant shock from last year causing it to not produce flower buds, or abort the few it did produce. If you saw flower buds last fall, then they should of still been there this spring and if you saw no flowers this year, those flower buds should be littered on the ground underneath and around the plant. If you can find any and if you tear one apart and it looks black on the inside, it's most likely freeze damage. If they look brown or light brown, it's likely one of the other reasons. If you can't find any, then it's likely what you really saw last fall were vegetative buds(which are big on Magnolias and can look like flower buds to some) and it's one of the other reasons, like shade, shock, etc. Also, Magnolia 'Jane' is not a Saucer Magnolia. Saucer Magnolias are a hybrid between the Yulan Magnolia(Magnolia denudata), which is a medium sized tree and the Lily Magnolia(M. liliflora), which is a large shrub, while 'Jane' is the result of a hybrid between the Lily Magnolia and the Star Magnolia(M. stellata), which is also a large shrub. Or more specifically 'Jane' is the result of a hybrid between Magnolia liliflora 'Reflorescens' and stellata 'Waterlily'.

I planted a 'Royal Star' almost 10 yrs ago when it was just a twig. It is in a fairly dry site and left pretty much to its own devices as it's in a isolated corner of the garden. For the first few years the flowers seemed insignificant and I was slightly disappointed, especially to the lack of scent. However the last 2 or 3 years, it's been gathering steam and last spring the flowers were very lovely, just smothering the entire tree. The fragrance was very pleasant - light but definitely there. It was so pretty, I was inspired to rejuvenate that corner of the garden and put in an entirely new bed. The tree is now about 5' tall & 4' wide - I'm sure its small size is due to the very dry soil in summer, as well as the fact that I've never amended the soil. In fact, it looks rather nice, like a bonsai specimen. On the other hand, my neighbour has a similar tree - m. stellata but I cannot be sure it's a 'Royal Star'- and it's more like 15'high. I gave it a very light pruning for shape - heck, I might even throw a bit of compost on it this winter.