Description
Magnolia –
There are about 125 species and countless cultivars of fast growing, deciduous, and evergreen trees and shrubs, in this genus. They occur in woodland, scrub, and on riverbanks from the Himalayas to Eastern and Southeastern Asia, and from Eastern North America to Tropical North and South America. They are grown for their showy, solitary, fragrant, usually erect, sometimes pendent or horizontal, cup, saucer, goblet, or star shaped flowers, often borne before or with the leaves. The flowers have usually 6-9 petals, colors include pure white, white flushed or stained pink or purple, pink, rich purple, creamy yellow, greenish yellow. The alternate leaves are usually oval and smooth edged and in a few species, the foliage turns yellow in autumn. Cone like, cylindrical fruits, often pink or red with red or orange coated seeds, are attractive in autumn.
Grow magnolias as specimens among other trees and shrubs. Some species take many years to flowers.
Grow in moist, well drained, humus rich, preferably acidic to neutral soil in sun or partial shade. Protect from strong and salty winds.
Prone to bacterial leaf spot, spot anthracnose, canker, dieback, butt rot, powdery mildew, anthracnose, fungal spots, snails, weevils, scale insects, planthoppers and thrips.
M. stellata – Star Magnolia – This compact, bushy then spreading deciduous shrub from Japan grows 10-15′ feet tall and wide. It has aromatic bark. It produces obovate-oblong to inversely lance shaped, mid green leaves, to 4″ long. Silky bud open to star shaped, mostly erect, fragrant, pure white, sometimes faintly pink flushed flowers, to 5″ across, with up to 15 petals, flowers are borne profusely in early and mid spring, before the leaves. Grow in moist alkaline soil.
‘Waterlily’ – bears white flowers, to 5″ across, with up to 32 petals and is a prolific bloomer
Zones 5-9
