Tips please on buying magnolia and cherry blossom trees

[miramar]

Any tips on what to buy , where from etc are appreciated. I have a reasonable sized south-facing garden and have always fancied having these.

we bought some magnolia trees but made sure they were quite mature as some of them can be very slow growing. we are about to buy some red plum trees and will be looking for something quite mature. the magnolia was quite expensive buying it mature but we would rather it was more established.

we found a nursery nearby that kept mature trees so we could see what we were buying and they delivered them for us, the hardest part was moving them about because the pots they were in were massive and heavy.

I would do some research to start off with, there are loads of books about trees plus info on-line.
Work out how much room you have as large trees cast a lot of shade, also where they will go in relation to your boundaries, when you want blossom, what colour blossom, if you like fruit too etc etc.
Good sites are
www.barcham.co.uk/
for mature trees, also good advice
and
www.ornamental-trees.co.uk/

I have some nice Cherries in my own garden, this one which has early buds and dark pink blossom, quite unusual
www.ornamental-trees.co.uk/ornamental-trees-c18/flowering-cherry-trees-prunus-trees-c34/prunus-kursar-tree-p209
and
www.ornamental-trees.co.uk/ornamental-trees-c18/flowering-cherry-trees-prunus-trees-c34/prunus-subhirtella-autumnalis-tree-p224
which flowers through the winter, lovely!

Burncoose is a Magnolia specialist. They have a superb range and their plants are always top quality.

Thanks, I was thinking of getting the smaller varieties as the garden isn't huge. Maybe an established magnolia stellata. I also like apple blossom (but probably don't have room for all 3!) The garden currently has lots of evergreen shrubs, Italian cypress (or similar looking things) and random plants that are overgrown and that I dislike. I'm going to get them all removed and start from scratch, so can position the new stuff wherever is best.

Magnolia stellata is lovely and I agree Apple Blossom is the prettiest of all.
You can get small fruit trees or you could grow a fruit tree as an espalier.
Some useful info here (bear in mind you need a self fertile tree or a pollinator nearby).
www.keepers-nursery.co.uk/choosing-the-right-fruit-trees.htm

I would think twice about taking out everything - you may have some gems in there! Evergreen shrubs are very expensive to buy and mainly slow growing. If you start from scratch it will take a long time for everything to mature.

Thanks again. I'll try to upload some photos of the things about to be evicted, and put it to the vote. .

I don't know much about gardening except for how to look after the things in my mum's garden, add I've been doing that for years. So it's mainly been about pruning (roses, peony roses, honeysuckle, clematis, camellia, heather, shrubs that I can't remember the names of...) and dealing with bedding plants. Oh and weeding (she has no grass). I moved this month and now have a garden myself.

Oh yes good idea.
As said you may have some real gems in there.
There are some useful books for new-ish gardeners or those who have inherited a garden, I recommended them on another thread, will link to it in a min.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/gardening/2057796-Taming-the-jungle-newbie-gardener-needing-lots-of-advice

Thanks for the links. I've been reading Sarah Raven's website and the rhs one today.

We took everything out of our garden when we moved in, and I regret it! I could really do with having some of the shrubs now, as everything I've planted is taking time to establish. I have bare borders, and can't afford to fill them. I was unlucky though - a few of the ones I planted died in the hard winter last year and the year before, when we had lots of snow.

We have had a beautiful white magnolia stellata for around twenty-five years, that is a huge mass of flowers for several weeks.