For the first couple of years it may need protection, but after that it will do o.k. I am in Z6 York County and have a seedling M. grandiflora (same as yours?) that got no protection and was planted in the middle of a lawn. A few times it was browned in the winter, but that didn't seem to hurt it. The old leaves are shed in early summer, so the pathetic wounded plant you see in April will be gone by July. A couple of flakes from a straw bale is all the protection you will need I think.

Well, first of all, you did RIGHT by NOT planting it right up close to your house! I did that mistake once about 18 years ago. My heart sank when the new home owners had to cut it down when it became too massive. (I made up for that by planting over a half dozen cultivars and giving them space.) So, do not assume it will not grow into a monster just because you are in Zone 6b! There are many varieties of Southern Magnolia--most do fine in Eastern zones 6b in terms of cold, BUT some do show vulnerabilities to heavy, WET, Eastern snow. Good ones for snow loads are Edith Bogue, Victoria, and Bracken's Brown. You might want to spray the leaves now with an anti desiccant spray (check your garden center). But should not need to even do this yearly. Mulch the tree, and regularly water the first few years if water is lacking. P.S., the one in picture is 'Victoria', nice because leaf buds are red like on a Rubber tree (Ficus). Good luck!

Yep, I think you dodged a bullet by not planting it up against your house.

Depending on the provenance and the hardiness characteristics of your individual plant, it is likely to do just fine in 6b. Knoxville is full of southern magnolias that survived the record -24 degrees F cold spell back in '85.

I'm 6 A and have overwintered a wild southern mag far from my house with no problem going on yr 3. I pruned it this fall to a single trunk from a 2 leadered shrubby looking tree. It has not ever looked winter-beaten, but I was afraid if I let it have a shrubby and fat shape a wet snowfall would weigh it down. I would say the wet snow is going to be your problem if there is going to be one. I guess I am just repeating what most people here would say. My Brackens Brown beauty is only about 15" tall this year, it's first winter will be now.

Poaky, depending on the variety, even wet snow damage is not so bad. The branches will be weighed down by the snow but usually flexible enough to revert back to normal after it melts off in the sun. Two years ago, we had a freak Halloween snowstorm. The grandifloras went through it just fine--the Northern, deciduous Magnolias got walloped with some spitting in half! My Star Magnolia is going to take another season to recuperate its shape from that one.

njoasis, I mentioned it with some of your old posts in mind, actually. Not to say it won't happen in my yard. We have 2 white pines that are still standing fine, but have had some limb breakage on smaller twigs/ upper branches from wet snow in the past. I see my Mag. Grandf. and can easily imagine some limb breakage possibly happening. That is why I went out and pruned the Mag down to one leader, to hopefully make snow packing on top impossible.

We have Southern Magnolia oon every block here in SW Missouri.

Protect when young, you may get die off some years with very cold blasts, but should rebound.

Put cypress mulch around tree, at least 4" high pile, do not let mulch touch trunk to help protect roots.

I'd go w/Joeinmo & mulch as he suggests. First yr roots are shallow & easily frozen, which can lead to leaf winter-kill. Mulching helps this a bit.

My brother has a "standard" S Mag in z6 in Hagerstown, MD. It's 40 yrs old, 55' tall & withstood -20F.

And njoasis/poaky, I'm "concerned" about my 'Victoria' S mag, but after 9 seasons it shrugs off wet snows better than I thought. Lower branches have gotten plastered on the ground, but popped back up well -- no breakage. 'Victoria' is relatively compact & short-branched -- that helps.

This post was edited by beng on Sun, Nov 10, 13 at 10:48

My best friend lives about 7 miles from me, and I planted 2 wild southern Mag in her yard last winter. I think she may be colder than my area because she is about 1 mile or 2 from where the road is that goes straight up to Jamonsville (probably misspelled) and increases in elevation, well, ALOT. So I thought since she is literally at the foot of the mountains, I would give her free plants and sort of experiment with hardiness of some plants. The first year, the southern Mags literally blew out of the ground. The leaves acted like a sail and they were just... gone. I replanted in spring of 2013, with smaller leaved S Mags, the same wild type. I luckily got 2 with smaller leaves. So far spo good, but I will be buying more Dollar tree wire garbage baskets, and cut the bottom out and secure them around her trees. I also have planted her, yes, AGAIN, Live oak "late drop". I need to protect them too, because she has tons of deer and bunnies. There is nothing but woods all around her, so protection needs to be put in action or whatever, you know what I mean. I hope they haven't been chomped up already, I planted them in Sept, 2013.

I found out that the original cultivar 'Poconos' is only 15 minutes north of me in Cherryville, PA....I went to see this l tree.... its short but but healthy looking.