If someone could actually live in the Louvre or the Metropolitan Museum of Art, that person would probably be totally blasé about great art. I live in a neighborhood full of great works of nature’s art, especially trees. At this time of year the magnolias shine in large numbers. While not completely blasé about those gorgeous trees, I am more inclined to notice them when visitors point them out.
Last week a visitor from a more northern climate gazed in appreciation at the thousands of tulip and star-shaped magnolia blooms currently shining forth in the spring sunshine. My eyes opened and ever since then, I have paid more attention.
And they are worthy of that attention. Modern magnolias are descendants of some of the most ancient flowering plants, dating back to the Cretaceous period, which ended about 79 million years ago. Now and then, beetles pollinated magnolias, with modern bees and flies also performing that vital ecological function.
The word “magnolia” means different things depending on where you call home. If you live south of the Mason Dixon line, you might think of the classic southern magnolia or Magnolia grandiflora, with its huge, lemon-scented flowers and equally enormous, indestructible leaves. Those glossy leaves often appear in holiday decorations all over the South and occasionally elsewhere. Southern magnolia may be hardy as far north as USDA plant hardiness zone 7, but the trees really grow best farther south. I saw a glorious specimen in bloom near the main buildings of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
If you live farther north, “magnolia” probably means the tulip-shaped blooms of Magnolia x soulangiana or saucer magnolia. This most popular of all magnolia hybrids blooms in early to mid spring and sports large flowers in shades of white, pink and purple. It grows to a height of twenty to thirty feet tall, and is glorious in flower. The leaves aren’t bad either, with a pleasing elongated oval shape, prominent veins and silky, soft undersides. Breeders have had a field day with soulangianas, creating many variations in flower color, growth habit and mature size. It pays to be choosy when selecting one.
Probably the second most popular magnolia is the Japanese star magnolia or Magnolia stellata. It is a small, elegant tree that rises to about twenty feet, with a spread of up to 15 feet. The compact size makes this showy tree very well suited to smaller gardens and planting areas. “Star” in the common name refers to the appearance of the narrow petal-like tepals, which are pink in bud and generally white when the blossoms open. A few cultivated varieties, like ‘’Rosea’ feature buds that open into pink petals. Double or many-petaled forms sport flowers that are less like stars and more like waterlilies. The eponymous ‘Waterlily’ variety is a perfect example.
In the 1950’s hybridizers crossed star magnolia with another small species, lily magnolia or Magnolia liliiflora, and come up with the Little Girl Hybrids, all named for girls—‘Ann’, ‘Betty’, ‘Jane’ and ‘Judy’ are just a few–and growing eight to fifteen feet tall, depending on variety. The Little Girl hybrids do best when planted no farther north than USDA plant hardiness zone 7.
Suppose you want to go farther afield and plant something that your neighbors don’t have. For roomy situations, I like cucumber magnolia—Magnolia acuminata. It is a tall tree, growing fifty to eighty feet tall and wide, with greenish white flowers reminiscent of southern magnolia. It also features large, oval leaves in an attractive shade of dark green. Cucumber magnolia is a parent of many yellow-flowered varieties, including the hybrid ‘Elizabeth’, which grows in my garden. ‘Elizabeth’s flowers are like yellow tulips and are magical when backlit by spring sunshine. It is somewhat smaller than its cucumber parent, topping out at thirty to 50 feet tall.
Magnolias generally flower on the ends of the branches and, in the case of the popular soulangianas and stellatas, the flowers appear before the leaves. The trees prefer uniformly moist soil and fare best in full sun or very light shade. Mulch to conserve moisture, applying organic material to a depth of two or three inches. Be careful not to pile up mulch in a “volcano” configuration with the mulch touching the tree’s bark.
Some smaller magnolia varieties may have to be limbed up a bit to keep them looking like trees rather than shrubs, but this is not difficult and can be handled with a pruning saw.
If magnolias have a flaw, it is their susceptibility to cold, wet weather. A soulangiana may display glorious flowers on a fine spring day, only to have those blooms decimated by a single overnight blast of unseasonably chilly weather or cold rain. In my town, this seems to happen about every four years or so. Judging by the number of magnolias around town, most people think the beauty is worth the risk.
Good local nurseries should have at least a few different magnolias to choose from, depending on your needs. For a wider selection, try RareFind Nursery, 957 Patterson Road,
Jackson, NJ 08527, (732) 833-0613, www.rarefindnursery.com. Print catalog $3.00.