How Do I Harvest/Plant Magnolia seeds?

Q: I have three beautiful magnolias that are healthy and bloom beautifully. One has pods with red seeds. How do I harvest them and plant at my new home? 

A: I’m sure yours is a beautiful tree but the tree that comes from its seed may not be identical. If there is an “ugly” magnolia in your neighborhood, it could possibly be a parent of the seeds. You won’t realize this until a decade has passed and the tree begins blooming (or not).

Why not spend a few dollars and install a nice small magnolia like ‘Little Gem’ or ‘Teddy Bear’? If you have room for them, ‘Bracken’s Brown Beauty’, ‘Majestic Beauty’ and ‘Claudia Wannamaker’ are excellent. If you really want to grow them from seed, I have details at http://www.walterreeves.com/gardening-q-and-a/magnolia-plant-from-seed/.

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