I'll also add that possums and parrots love eating them (and making a big mess underneath them). Used to drive every member of my family who had one mad. You wait months for the buds to form, then one pillage from the critters and that's it. So if you are in an area with those issues, maybe go for something else or be prepared to put in place lots of protection. Don't remember if anyone mentioned that magnolias come in dwarf varieties, as well as different colour and fragrance strengths. I believe that dark pink one is called 'port Wine' magnolia. Due to their sculptural shape, they go well with Art Deco and modern house designs.

Acmena smithii – Lilly Pilly Using my favourite site's plant selector the above plant pops up. You can have a look at the Gardening with Angus site for details.

Hi Vanessa, You could try breaking up the clay by adding gypsum, then adding organic compost to get good drainage, my favourite is the magnolia, they do need a moist well drained soil , we treated our clay soil in this way and our magnolia ‘s are thriving, it all starts with the soil.

I have a Meyer lemon growing g in a pot on my verandah in Bendigo. Don't overthink it. Sounds like a great spot.