Magnolia

Magnolia: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Shrub or small tree of 4–8 m, often multi-stemmed, with a broad, open crown.

Leaf

Alternate, large (10–20 cm), obovate and untoothed.

Bark

Smooth and grey.

Flower

Large white, pink or purple tulip- or star-shaped flowers, March–April, before the leaves.

Fruit

Cone-like fruits with red seeds.

Difference from tulip tree

The tulip tree has leaves with a cut-off tip and does not flower until June.

Flowering: March–May · Pruning: May–July

Identify by feature: White blossom · Pink blossom · Purple or blue flowers

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Tulip tree Liriodendron tulipifera: leaves with a cut-off tip and flowers in June. Difference from tulip tree

Why grow it?

• Spectacular flowers in March–April, before the leaves.
• Lovely in winter too, with furry flower buds on grey branches.
• Little work: pruning is rarely needed.
• A size for every garden: the star magnolia fits a small garden, the saucer magnolia is a specimen for a spacious one.

Magnolia: where does it grow best?

• Sun to partial shade; it flowers most freely in sun.
• Sheltered from cold wind, and preferably not facing east: morning sun after a frosty night turns frozen flowers brown.
• Humus-rich, slightly acid soil that holds moisture but does not stay wet; on chalky soil most magnolias get yellow leaves.
• Allow 4–5 m in width for a saucer magnolia: give it space, as a focal point in the lawn or border.

Light

Sun or partial shade

Legal basis

Acid soil

Moisture

Normal

Size

8 m tall, 5 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Japanese maple: Likes the same sheltered spot and humus-rich soil, and colours beautifully in autumn.
• Rhododendron: Flowers after the magnolia, on the same slightly acid soil.
• Japanese pieris: Evergreen, with white flower sprays in spring; also for acid soil.
• Lesser periwinkle: Evergreen ground cover that keeps the soil cool, so you don’t need to hoe.

Magnolia: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant in spring (March–April) or early autumn, from a pot or with a root ball.
2. Dig a wide but not too deep planting hole and mix in leaf mould or compost.
3. Don’t plant the root ball deeper than before: the fleshy roots run shallow.
4. Stake a young tree and cover the soil with a layer of leaf mould or bark.
5. Choose the right spot from the start: a magnolia does not like being moved.

Care

Watering

In dry spells during the first years, in summer too: that is when next year’s flower buds form.

Mulching

Every spring, a layer of leaf mould or compost; don’t dig or hoe under the crown.

Feeding

Little needed; on poorer soil, some compost or an ericaceous fertiliser in March.

Patience

A young plant sometimes takes a few years to flower freely; a seedling many years.

Tip: Don’t plant it facing east: after a frosty night, the early sun turns the frozen flowers brown. A spot with midday or evening sun, sheltered from wind, is better.

Magnolia: when to prune it?

Pruning months: May–July.

When: After flowering (May–July).

How:

• Prune as little as possible: large wounds heal poorly and you lose the flower buds.
• Only remove dead, crossing or awkward branches, cutting back to a side branch or the trunk without leaving a stub.
• On a grafted plant: cut off wild shoots from below the graft as soon as you see them.

Caution: Don’t prune in winter or early spring: you would cut off the flower buds, and the wounds bleed.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Layering

In spring, bend a low branch to the ground, nick it lightly on the underside and cover it with soil; after 1–2 years you can cut it free.

Sowing

In autumn, remove the red seed coat, let the seeds overwinter in the cold and sow in spring. Seedlings take many years to flower and don’t always resemble the parent.

Magnolia: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Quite hardy; the risk lies in late frosts, which turn open flowers brown.
• The furry flower buds are ready all winter: leave them alone.
• If frost threatens in full bloom, you can cover a small shrub with fleece.

Diseases and pests

• Night frost: Brown, limp flowers after a cold night. On a large tree there is little you can do; choose a sheltered spot, and perhaps a later-flowering variety.
• Scale insects: Small bumps on the twigs, sticky honeydew and black sooty mould on the leaves. Brush them off or cut out badly affected twigs.
• Yellow leaves: Yellow leaves with green veins on chalky soil. Mulch with leaf mould and give an ericaceous fertiliser.
• Few flowers: Too young, too much shade, summer drought or pruned at the wrong time. Water in dry summers and only prune after flowering.

Through the year

• March: Planting; first flowers on the star magnolia.
• April: Full bloom: watch out for night frost.
• May: Prune after flowering, only if needed; mulch.
• June: Finish pruning; water in dry spells.
• July: Last month for pruning; next year’s flower buds are forming.
• September: Cone-like fruits with red seeds.
• October: Collect seeds for sowing; planting is possible again.

What can you use it for?

Garden and landscape

Spectacular spring-flowering specimen for a spacious garden.

Did you know?

• Magnolias are among the oldest flowering plants; the flowers are pollinated by beetles.
• The name honours the French botanist Pierre Magnol (1638–1715) from Montpellier.
• The furry buds you see all winter are the flower buds for the following spring.
• Magnolia is named after Pierre Magnol, a French botanist from Montpellier who was one of the first to group plants into families.
• The best-known garden magnolia, Magnolia × soulangeana, is a hybrid raised in the early 19th century in the garden of Étienne Soulange-Bodin near Paris.