>So, what do you all think?In the case of this southern United States native that should have been "y'all".

Grows natively in bottom-land soil where summers are wet but hot. But you can see in your area is able to grow with low humidity. Look at the ground etc. around established ones nearby to see if you think you can provide something similar.

Also read up on what native vegetation may have been on your site before it was denuded by human activity - as is likely the case - this is going to offer some of the best prospects for reafforestation.

Generally the region was dominated by oaks, pines and other drought adapted species before centuries of overgrazing and cutting made more or less permanent changes to the landscape.

This post was edited by bboy on Thu, Jan 1, 15 at 12:47

Curious as to why you specified the cultivar gallisoniensis. Also, what is your average annual rainfall?

You might consider posting your question on the California forum. I know they are grown in California areas with a Mediterranean climate similar to yours. You might also get tips on trees native and otherwise that are adapted to a drier climate. Grandifloras are native to areas with an average of 40 to 65 inches of rain, no real dry season, and a seasonal peak of precipitation in the Summer (though they can handle drought once established). It is also true that they are acid-loving, shallow-rooted, yet surprisingly resistant to wind damage. Worse come to worse, you could always grow a semi-dwarf Little Gem as a containerized specimen. This particular cultivar blooms over a ridiculously long season (May to around Halloween for me).

Hhmmm...interesting. Pot culture is out; I'm not into the Mag. gg enough to want one at all costs; I like the dark green leaves, not really the flower. I specified that cultivar because that's what the on-line Italian nursery offers, so i assumed that would be the best one for this area,but there are other local nurseries-Pistoia, nursery heaven,is rather close by,so I will be checking to see if there's one Mag most frequently offered. But shallow-rooted? that tends to point in the direction of a "no" on this tree...
Wild roses grow really well on my land -one reason I got into roses in the first place! Oaks,too, and now that I've fenced stuff off, I'm seeing lots of what I think are hornbeam trees forming stands. I've got ash trees,lots of brambles (blackberries). There are some stands of pines in the area, but they are in very particularly limited spots; maybe because these are areas where the ground water is at a higher level? because for the most part I think you'd have to drill down something like 80 meters to get to water...then there's that pesky yellow broom, wild clematis,a few wild cherries...does this list tell "y'all" (lol) anything?

Why did being shallow-rooted make you change your mind? Just curious, but I agree, there are much better species for your particular growing conditions.

Also, if you don't like the flowers, you really need to consider another tree as their flowers can be rather...prominent.

Not sure of this cultivar's Identity.

All trees not adapted to desert areas are shallow rooted - most roots grow near the soil surface, where the air is. Since Magnolia grandiflora is being grown on other properties in the vicinity we already know it is possible there. And wild roses, ash trees etc. indicate pretty good soil conditions. Horn-beams are another that are not going to be growing where it is almost a desert.

Pines are not going to indicate a higher water table, quite the opposite - in many places pines are the last trees to be found before the forest gives way to treeless grassland - or worse.

If you learn what your existing, spontaneous plant species indicate about the parts of your land where each kind is growing you will be better able to judge what new additions can be made to each of these areas. You have already found that land that supports wild roses can also grow garden roses pretty well. (Note that the wild roses never had anybody dig in amendments for them but grew anyway).

'Gallissonniere' is a cold tolerant French selection producing a conical tree with sometimes jumbo flowers that dates from the 1740s, was being produced by 1856 - but was not named until 1869 (after its introducer Roland-Michel Baron de la Gallissonniere, Governor of Canada).

This post was edited by bboy on Thu, Jan 1, 15 at 16:45

Ooh, that is good to hear; sometimes it seems SO dry and hot here; it's a relief to know that we aren't too desert-like;( at least not yet???)
This is what I like about the whole forum context: here, I was asking about Mag gg, and wound up also learning about pines. I assumed that they (at least the Mediterranean ones, with the ball-like green part at the top, with a bare trunk) are more shallow-rooted than many other trees because, at a nearby supermarket, the entire parking lot was shaded by beautiful , mature pines.The roots of these were so close to the surface that they had rendered the asfalt of the parking lot extremely uneven; you could see the snaky root shapes under the raised, cracked asphalt. Sad to say, they were all chopped down! and replaced by Quercus ilex. Q. ilex is very beautiful, too, however, and in fact it's definitely on my wish list as well; higher up on said list than Mag gg in fact...

Holly oak is so dark in aspect it has been described as looking like a storm cloud. I would much rather have the stone pine or the magnolia.

Or at least a cork oak, with its bark interest.

O,I Iove Holly oak!!! In the hot,hot, hot dry summers,the dark-green evergreens are so beautiful and soothing,imparting a feeling of coolness and shade. I didn't get any this past year because they are a little slower-growing, I read, but I definitely want some of those romantic "storm clouds"...develop this thick, dark green wood of Q.ilex, cypress sempervirens, etc...and then maybe punctuate it, if need be, by one of those golden-tinted evergreens...
I forget why i didn't get a cork oak...slow growth rate, maybe? bart