There is a wide assortment of Magnolia Tree Varieties that you can grow in your garden. There are even different types of magnolia trees with flowers that cover the whole color spectrum from white, red, pink, and yellow.
Magnolia Tree Varieties
Jane Magnolia
The beautiful Jane Magnolia tree (Magnolia x ‘Jane’) is prized for its abundant, long-lasting reddish-purple blooms, fragrance, and showy color. Plant them as a hedge along your house or as a single accent at the edge of a patio planting bed.
Jane gives you all the fabulous features you love, without having to make a commitment to a lot of space or care. You’ll adore the 8-9 inch, tulip-shaped flowers of purple with white centers, appearing in late spring, before its leaves. It will keep reblooming here and there throughout the season.
This is a hardy plant. You won’t have to fuss over it to enjoy its performance. It will start making some smaller leaves just as the flowers begin to show color.
Attractive, 6-inch leathery, dark-green leaves cover the Jane for summer. The leaves turn a lovely copper-yellow in the fall. Jane Magnolia is a deciduous plant that will drop its leaves in the fall.
Magnolia Jane is one of the “Little Girl” series of hybrids developed in the 1960s. Live in a cold climate? Jane starts blooming a bit later in the early spring than other Saucer or hybrid Magnolias, which protects the beautiful, cup-shaped blooms from late frost. This is wonderful news for gardeners in growing zones 4 – 6.
Green Giant Magnolia
Green Giant Magnolia (Buy Online)
Green Giant Magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora ‘Green Giant’, is an evergreen tree with superior ornamental features. Plant one for a magnificent specimen tree, or use several a lush, evergreen screen.
Magnolia trees are among the most primitive of flowering plants and perhaps best known for their spectacular flowers…but Green Giant Magnolia has many other fabulous features as well. Its leathery leaves reach a size of up to 8-inches and possess a gorgeous glossy sheen. Foliage is oval in appearance with a decorative, golden hue to the new growth that eventually transitions to dark green (with a green underside hue).
From late spring into early summer, huge flowers burst into bloom, each up to 10-inches across! You’ll adore the cup-shaped blossoms with their waxy, creamy white perfection, and equally heavenly fragrance. Fruit appears in fall in the form of brown cones that soon open to reveal scarlet berries, yet another decorative accent to this already exquisite shrub. The fruit provides needed food for your birds and the lush foliage wildlife shelter for winter.
Green Giant Magnolia is moderate to fast-growing, with a coarse-textured, pyramidal habit. It’s quite hardy, able to withstand drought, urban and seaside conditions. Even deer and rabbits tend to leave it alone!
Magnolias are always sought-after trees, gorgeous in any setting…and Green Giant Magnolia is no exception. While it’s not prolific in its production of flowers, its fantastic foliage, impressive stature, and hardy nature make it a must-have for your yard this year.
If you want to encourage your magnolia tree to produce more flowers click here to learn more about the Best Fertilizer for Magnolia Trees
Sweet Bay Magnolia Tree
Sweet Bay Magnolia Tree (Buy Online)
Looking for an elegant tree with an airy, open style to use as a specimen in your landscape? Charming native Sweet Bay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) has an easy-care nature. This beautiful tree is a wonderful choice for many modern landscape applications.
Like many native trees, you can guess that it has several nicknames. If you live further south, you’ll likely know it by Sweetbay Magnolia or Swamp Magnolia. If you have mild winters, Sweet Bay leaves will likely remain on the tree all year long. In colder climates, the leaves are deciduous and fall off for winter. Our horticulture team calls it a semi-evergreen.
Any way you spell it or see it – you’ll smell it! All parts of the Sweet Bay Magnolia are fragrant. The roots, branches, and leaves smell sweet and spicy, a bit like vanilla.
The lovely, creamy flowers layer in a hint of lemon fragrance. Sweet Bay Magnolia flowers perfume your entire yard for many weeks in spring and summer.
The compact Sweet Bay Magnolia is a fast-growing showpiece with an enormous ornamental appeal. It features a long blooming period. You’ll enjoy the lovely three-inch, pure-white flowers in May after all chance of frost, and sporadically throughout the early summer as well. They are infused with a fresh, citrusy scent that is never heavy or cloying.
Even the leaves are very attractive. Up to five inches long, symmetrical leaves are dark green on the top with a glossy surface. The underneath has a silvery, waxy, glaucous coating that truly shimmers in the sunlight. You will be forgiven for staring at the sophisticated effect as the slightest breeze catches them to flash that delightful underside of silvery-white.
Sweet Bay Magnolia Tree is a joy to watch no matter what the time of year. Even when the flowers have faded and the fruit is not yet obvious, you’ll be surprised by the captivating sight a simple breeze drifting through its leaves creates.
The smooth bark of the Sweet Bay has a metallic gray overcast, which adds a tremendous amount of visual appeal. Showy, red seeded fruit slowly emerges from their green casing in fall, but you’ll need to look quick. Birds love the red seeds and they can be gone as fast as you spy them.
Butterflies love this tree, too. Don’t be surprised to see many more of them in your yard when you include one or more in your planting design.
Ann Magnolia Shrub
Ann Magnolia Shrub (Buy Online)
Ann Magnolia (Magnolia x Ann’) is one of our customer favorites, and it’s easy to see why. This Magnolia is low maintenance, perfect for the smaller yard or garden, and will fit practically any landscape.
Ann is a nice Magnolia selection that deserves a prominent location in your yard. Let it become the focal point of your backyard, protect you from prying eyes in a side yard, or make a big, beautiful statement in the front yard.
Use it as a dense, deciduous shrub for pretty privacy. Or, train it into a small tree to use near your patio or front door. There is no wrong way to use this plant in today’s smaller lots.
You’ll appreciate the lovely, fragrant spring flowers that bloom a couple of weeks later than other Magnolias. While late spring cold snaps may damage some flower buds of early spring bloomers, Ann gives you an extra window of forgiveness.
It’s well worth the wait! Ann’s blossoms are huge, fuchsia, and goblet-shaped. They start as beautiful, tapered buds that resemble tulips on every single branch tip. The buds quickly grow 7 to 9 inches long and opens to reveal a tender white. The deep flower color of the petals contrast beautifully with the white insides of the bloom.
Ann’s flowers develop just before the leaves emerge, so they are incredibly showy and eye-catching. If the weather remains cool during the bloom the flowers will last much longer. The flower display is phenomenal, so be sure to site this where you can see it from indoors.
Then, just when you think it has completed its show for the summer, Ann may still surprise you with a repeat bloom in mid-summer. Keep your eyes open and sneak one or two in your summer bouquets as a special treat.
Ann Magnolia shrub is a member of the ‘Little Girl’ series of Magnolias, and a popular choice of both novice and expert gardeners. This improved variety was developed at the National Arboretum by expert horticulturists.
It’s a vigorous and hardy shrub that won’t require a lot of your time in return for the brilliant displays it produces. It has no significant disease or insect problems.
Leathery green foliage is an added bonus that maintains an attractive sight for your landscape even when the Ann Magnolia is not in bloom.
Ann Magnolia grows naturally beautiful without shaping as a dense, shrubby, upright plant that grows more rounded as the plant matures. Or, keep it smaller with annual pruning to maintain the desired size and shape.
Little Gem Magnolia Tree
Little Gem Magnolia Tree (Buy Online)
the Little Gem Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora Little Gem’) is the right size for many different landscape applications. It is proud to be one of the most important of all the Magnolias in the home garden.
Native to the southeastern United States, the Little Gem was a select seeding discovered in 1952 and has been grown in the US National Arboretum since the late 1950s. It graces gardens all across Zones 7 – 9.
Magnolias are those decorative evergreens found in gardens all over the US. Their big, beautiful leaves and massive, sweet-smelling flowers are always welcome in the landscape. Unfortunately, most modern gardens aren’t big enough to handle a full-sized magnolia tree.
Although this tree still grows to an impressive height, Little Gem is one-third the size of a standard Southern Magnolia. The more compact habit and the slower growth make this the perfect tree for a smaller backyard or as an accent tree in a larger garden.
Little Gem Magnolia is a shrub-like tree that has all of the great qualities of a full-sized Magnolia. But you can grow it in much less space.
As a bonus, this right-sized tree produces even more blooms than the species. These 8-inch, creamy-white flowers even last longer than their bigger cousins. With extremely fragrant spring blooms as the growing season kicks off, Little Gem continues to rebloom sporadically through fall. You’ll enjoy these sweetly fragrant flowers for almost a full six months of the year!
The decorative leathery, lustrous evergreen leaves are dark green on top and have fuzzy, rusty brown undersides. Be sure to include these leaves in cut floral arrangements and use them to create elegantly festive seasonal wreaths.
A dwarf variety of the magnificent native Southern Magnolia, these compact evergreen trees stay narrow enough to fit in modern landscapes. If you have limited planting space, the narrow column shape of Gem Magnolia trees will fit just about anywhere.
Daybreak Magnolia
Daybreak Magnolia (Buy Online)
You’ve probably noticed a hot new trend in trees – the columnar form. These narrow trees hold their branches strongly upright (or “fastigate” for you plant nerds, and you know who you are!) There is a great reason you see this form more often. We simply have smaller yards nowadays.
Now, you know Magnolia as a lovely, wide-spreading tree that puts on a floral display in spring that can’t be beaten. Pastel pink flowers get 6-8 inches wide as they fully open. We’re talking about those huge, showy, delicate blooms that just catch your eye and make you glad to be alive.
Did you know you have another option? Daybreak Magnolia (Magnolia ‘Daybreak) is a columnar variety that stays narrow. It blooms a bit later than other Magnolias, which is good, as the threat of any mean-spirited late winter storms will have passed.
Give this plant – like all Magnolias – protection from the worst of the winds in your yard. You’ll feel protective of the large, bright pink flowers that feature a wonderful fragrance, so take the time to study your lot and site it perfectly.
Use it as a specimen tree in a tiny yard. The large leaves provide a delicious sense of shade for your seating area.
Or, plant several together in a long row, and allow the lower branches to grow. You’ll love this gorgeous, hard-working screen to create a wonderful sense of privacy along a property line, or to delineate the “walls” of a garden room.
Magnolia Susan
The Susan Magnolia (Magnolia x ‘Susan’) is a sweet little magnolia that will provide years and years of pleasure.
This little gem was developed in the late ’50s at the National Arboretum. She is one of the eight “Little Girl” magnolias introduced at the time. They don’t become large trees, like in the pictures you see of antebellum plantations. Instead, they stay as lovely shrubs.
‘Susan’ has sweetly scented flowers that are a soft purple-pink on the bottom and white inside the ‘cup’. The petals are slightly twisted which gives the whole shrub a sense of dynamic movement. In late spring the flowers smother the stems before the leaves emerge. Susan blooms later than other spring-flowering shrubs, which helps it avoid frost damage to the flower buds. The flowers make great cuts for bouquets, too.
Susan isn’t fussy about soil and does fine in semi-shade or full sun. She’ll make a beautiful statement in your foundation or border planting.
- Unique, softly twisting petals
- Bushy shrub
- Drought and heat tolerant
D.D. Blanchard Southern Magnolia Tree
D.D. Blanchard Southern Magnolia Tree (Buy Online)
The phenomenal D.D. Blanchard Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora DD Blanchard) is a staff favorite. It features outstanding ornamental qualities, from the beautiful dark leaves to the large, fragrant blossoms.
This tree deserves room to develop into its full height and spread. While it does have a tightly narrow, upright growth habit, you’ll want to study the Plant Highlights and allow it the space it needs for the best result. You won’t want to prune this magnificent, upright specimen tree for size and risk losing the charming balance of the canopy.
D.D. Blanchard may be one of the most magnificent Magnolia tree varieties for the yard available on the market today. It’s blessedly low maintenance, and the average or large landscape is perfectly suited for it.
Incorporate this special tree as the main specimen in your landscape design. You’ll love the formal look of its straight central leader.
This strong evergreen has the classic Magnolia leaf shapeâ glossy green on top and fuzzy brown on the bottom. The large leaves make a big visual impact. Add a branch or two in a tall vase. You’ll look like a professional designer, even without the fabulous flowers.
A single D.D. Blanchard Southern Magnolia flower can perfume a whole room. They are big flowers with a big lemony scent to match. The classic, vase shape blooms are at once traditional, but also have a bold, streamlined appeal that feels very modern.
In late summer or early fall, the beautiful, creamy white flowers give way to a cone-like sphere that contains many rose-colored seeds. They’ll add, attractive display to the canopy in their season.
Royal Star Magnolia Shrub
Royal Star Magnolia Shrub (Buy Online)
For discerning gardeners who want to stand out a bit from the pack, Royal Star Magnolia (Magnolia stellata ‘Royal Star’) offers a special charm unlike any other. The unique flowers draw the eye of everyone who sees them.
Forgive us for waxing poetic, but these blooms look like a starburst of pristine white ribbons surrounding a tiny glowing sun. Each 4-inch long double bloom is comprised of 25 – 30 long, strappy petals surrounding a pale yellow center.
They’ll liberally cover the shrub on branches bare of leaves – a display that is sure to be the envy of your neighborhood!
With larger, star-shaped flowers, this prize-winning cultivar is particularly sought after. They also bloom a bit later than others, which helps them resist frost damage in cold-winter Zones 4 – 6.
Royal Star Magnolia is known for its attractive form and large oblong leaves. This ornamental, deciduous tree creates an outstanding specimen in your yard.
Use Royal Star Magnolia as either a small tree or large shrub. It becomes a wonderful focal point for your Spring Garden.
Sweet Bay Magnolia Shrub
Sweet Bay Magnolia Shrub (Buy Online)
Do you need an elegant shrub with an airy, open style? The charming native Sweet Bay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) has just what you are looking for!
This compact shrub is a fast-growing showpiece with an enormous ornamental appeal. Featuring a long blooming period, the creamy-white flowers have a hint of lemon that perfumes your yard for weeks, and reappear sporadically throughout the early summer!
Magnolia flowers are infused with a fresh, citrusy scent that is never heavy or cloying. All parts of the Sweet Bay Magnolia are fragrant. The roots, branches, leaves, and twigs smell sweet and spicy, a bit like vanilla! Pollinators will drop by for a visit, so don’t be surprised to see many more arrive when you include these in your landscape.
In the South, you’ll know this as Swamp or Sweetbay Magnolia where they’re evergreen in mild winters. In colder climates, these are deciduous or even semi-evergreen!
You’ll be surprised by the captivating sight created by the slightest breeze, the undersides have a silvery, waxy, glaucous coating that truly shimmers in the sunlight! Nearly 5 inches long, symmetrical and dark green on the top with a lovely glossy surface.
The smooth bark has a metallic gray overcast, adding tremendous visual appeal. Fall brings showy, red seeded fruit, but you’ll need to look quick because songbirds love the seeds!
Alexandrina Saucer Magnolia
Alexandrina Saucer Magnolia (Buy Online)
The Alexandrina Saucer Magnolia (Magnolia x soulangeana ‘Alexandrina’) is a beautiful ornamental shrub that can become a lovely specimen plant in your landscape.
This selection of Saucer Magnolia was chosen specifically for its wonderful, dark-purple flower buds, and huge cup-shaped flowers with light pink and white interiors. The massive flower display is phenomenal.
Unbeatable Fragrant Flower Display
Magnolia flowers are darkest in bud and lighten as they open and age on the plant. You’ll be amazed watching the darker-colored flower buds elongate and begin to open in early spring. Alexandrina’s flowers bloom into cups a full six-ten inches across.
The sweet fragrance of this flowering tree will soon draw nectar and pollen-gathering insects to your yard.
As summer advances, vibrant 6-inch-long, dark green leaves will fill out your Magnolia. As they grow, Magnolias deliver a lovely rounded form, with a symmetry that will compliment any location in your yard.
The Saucer Magnolia is a beautiful flowering shrub or small tree for your yard with unique spring flowers you’ll enjoy for years to come.
Galaxy Magnolia
Most Magnolias worry us with their penchant to bloom in a risk zone for frost. Not the Galaxy. It’s been bred to bloom later to avoid those late spring snowstorms that wreak havoc on other varieties.
Winds will still cause trouble, so we’d advise you to site this tree out of the worst of your winds. Did you know you can call your local airport to get the direction of your prevailing winds? Give it protection, so you can truly enjoy those fantastic flowers.
Now, let’s talk about size. If you are blessed with a large yard, this won’t matter quite so much, but if your yard is the size of a postage stamp, listen up. This magnolia puts on its yearly show with a compact spread. You’ll appreciate the strength of the branches on this variety, too.
Let’s not kid ourselves, though. You grow this beautiful specimen tree for the outstanding flower color. We know it, you know it. Everything else is just gravy, a nice plus.
Elizabeth Magnolia
Elizabeth Magnolia (Buy Online)
Looking for an elegant tree that will take center stage in your landscape? Elizabeth Magnolia (Magnolia ‘Elizabeth’) is an incredible selection. This beautiful ornamental shade tree grows tall but stays narrow.
You’ll be entranced with Elizabeth as she puts on her show for you, producing large, creamy yellow blooms before the leaves come on in the spring. Known as one of the best yellow magnolias, this variety is a bit more restrained than other yellow Magnolias, with fragrant, sophisticated blossoms.
The color is simply delicious. You’ll be reminded of the pale, buttery yellow of shortbread or sugar cookies before they are iced. This is a flower to fall in love with.
The color is simply delicious. You’ll be reminded of the pale, buttery yellow of shortbread or sugar cookies before they are iced. This is a flower to fall in love with.
Protect it from the worst of the winter winds by selecting a protected spot in your yard. It’s wonderful to choose a place where you’ll be able to see the scrumptious blooms from inside your house, too.
If you’ve had a long, cold winter, consider pruning a few of the budded branches and bringing them inside in late February to “force” the blooms in a vase of warm water placed in a sunny, cool spot. Use a spray bottle to mist the branches and change the water every few days. What a treat to watch the blooms open in a wonderful preview of spring!
After the flowers fade, you’ll appreciate the long dark green leaves for their delightful shade. Some trees are just magnificent, and Elizabeth Magnolia is a fabulous example.
- Elegant, Fragrant Pale Yellow Blooms
- Hardy, Ornamental Shade Tree
- Narrow, Pyramidal Shape
Kay Parris Magnolia Tree
Kay Parris Magnolia Tree (Buy Online)
The petite Kay Parris Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora ‘Kay Parris’) grows quickly into a sturdy, well-branched dwarf tree. It is remarkably cold-hardy and behaves so nicely in small landscapes.
Of course, you’ll relish the large white flowers that smell like lemony sunshine. They last and last, but start blooming a bit later than other varieties.
That’s a good thing if you live further north. The savvy blossoms play to win against Old Man Winter.
Use these gorgeous, showy flowers in cut flower arrangements. Float one in a shallow bowl, or add branches in bloom to a tall vase, weighted with glass beads at the bottom.
The amazing sight and fresh scent of these flowers will make your day. Even if you just leave them on your tree, you’ll delight in seeing a variety of butterflies visit each bloom several times a day.
Keep your camera ready! Start a fun new hobby and make custom greeting cards and calendars with your photos.
Become an active participant to support the needs of pollinators. Kay Parris Magnolia makes it so easy!
All summer long and throughout the year in warmer climates, beautiful leaves provide attractive shade. Decorate your patio with a Kay Parris planted in a mulched bed behind your seating area.
In areas with mild winters, the leaves may remain on the tree all year long. These semi-evergreen leaves will behave as a deciduous tree in cold winters.
As the growing season winds down, you’ll want to look for the beautiful red seed heads. Be quick about it, as they are here and gone. Hungry songbirds feast on them quickly.
Use these marvelous trees as a single specimen, or create a truly effective informal grouping of them. You’ll never, ever regret this choice.
Edith Bogue Magnolia Tree
Edith Bogue Magnolia Tree (Buy Online)
They don’t come much showier than Edith Bogue Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora ‘Edith Bogue’). You’ll love the foot-wide flowers that smell lemony-fresh for many weeks!
Edith Bogue is a carefully cultivated, improved variety of Southern Magnolia that works beautifully, even in smaller gardens. This is a durable, cold-hardy variety that flourishes as far north as the Pacific Northwest.
It features attractive bark and a well-balanced branch structure, so it looks nice all year long. Site your new tree carefully and selectively prune limbs as needed to create a “perfect fit” for your landscape.
In spring, you’ll be thrilled to see creamy white petals fall open from the dramatically tall, prominent flower buds. The flowers start to unfurl, perfuming your landscape in late spring or early summer.
Float a bloom in a shallow bowl of water for a lovely cut flower arrangement. You might have to go shopping to find a bowl large enough!
Site a hammock stand underneath your Magnolia tree. You’ll love observing it up close! Breathe deep to savor that amazing scent.
Enjoy these tropical-looking flowers through early summer. The butterflies certainly will; dancing and flying over the tree to visit the blooms.
Like other Magnolias, the leaves, branches, and even the fleshy roots smell like spiced vanilla. The large, elongated leaves are very attractive, as well.
Use a few long, slender branches with their two-toned leaves intact to create seasonal wreaths for your front door. Each leaf is lustrous and dark green on the top, rusty-brown on the bottom.
In areas with mild winters, the leaves may remain on the tree all year long. These semi-evergreen leaves behave as a deciduous tree in cold winters.
In fall, you can feel great about doing your part to feed the local songbirds. The hungry birds look for the showy, red seeds and feast on them quickly.
Black Tulip Magnolia
Black Tulip Magnolia (Buy Online)
No matter how large or small your landscape, you can enjoy rich, dark red-burgundy Magnolia flowers. Black Tulip Magnolia (Magnolia x soulangiana ‘Jurmag1’) stays narrow and compact.
It’s perfect for a courtyard. It easily fits in a bungalow backlot or any small-space planting. Black Tulip looks good all year long, with smooth, attractive bark and shapely branches you can admire from your window.
Watch for the prominent flower buds to slowly unfurl in early springtime. Invite your friends over often to help track their showy display in your yard.
This compact Magnolia features full-sized flowers, opening to reveal a full, dramatic goblet that is six inches wide. Thickly substantial petals are color-drenched and last a long time in cool weather.
Those good Magnolia springs are priceless. Enjoy the decadent dark flowers with parties and pictures to capture this year’s showy display.
Cut some of the branches for magnificent indoor displays, taking the time to do any needed pruning to shape the slender branches at the same time.
Don’t be surprised to see sporadic blooms throughout the season, either! Keep your eyes open, your garden snips sharp, and a prepped vase nearby.
Why not plant a hedge of these marvelous trees, so you’ll have armloads of boughs to decorate your interiors? Let the branches grow low-down on the trunk for a wonderfully useful flowering privacy screen.
They never get rangy and will work hard to solve some of your toughest landscape challenges. Large leaves are held densely along the low branches, and will easily block that unsightly view you just hate!
Use Black Tulip around your pool deck to shield prying eyes. Run them along the length of your side yard to raise the height of your hardscape fence in a very friendly way.
Ancient Magnolias are one of our most charming native plants. Their elegant branch structure decorates your yard with easy grace.
This narrow, upright growing tree is one of the hottest varieties. If you see Black Tulip Magnolia trees in stock, please place your order right away.
Yellowbird Magnolia
Yellowbird Magnolia (Buy Online)
Nature loves the color yellow, and no other time is that more apparent than in the optimistic early spring. The bright, cheerful canary yellow blooms of the Yellowbird Magnolia (Magnolia ‘Yellowbird) are a good time.
The blooms appear before the leaves grow out, so you’ll be able to truly appreciate the personality and character of this variety. Protect it from those mean old winter winds, and you’ll be able to enjoy it every year.
This would make a wonderful, special tree to plant as a newlywed couple, or for the birth of a child or grandchild.
Consider using this, too, as a happy remembrance tree for a fun-loving person who has passed. After all, they wouldn’t want to you be sad, and these cheerful blossoms will put a smile on your face.
Known as the best yellow Magnolia on the market, the branches are strong and sculptural. It makes an impact, so find a place that’s “front and center” for you to share with the world.
This would be so fun with other yellow spring flowers and shrubs, like daffodils and forsythia. Or, underplant with easy-care Euonymus Wintercreeper ground covering shrubs, especially with green and gold foliage to play off each other.
You’ll love this fun tree, order yours today!
- Canary Yellow Blooms
- Hardy and Widely Adaptable
- Easy Care, Long-Lived Tree
Merrill Magnolia Tree
Merrill Magnolia Tree (Buy Online)
With star-shaped blooms, Merrill Magnolia Tree Form (Magnolia x loebneri ‘Merrill’) put on a glorious flowering display. Thankfully, the blooms open a bit later than other varieties to help protect against sneaky freezes from Old Man Winter.
Showy Merrill buds unfurl to lush blooms that are held on bare branches. Pristine tips deepen into a pink-kissed base and are punctuated with a yellow eye. Each bloom contains up to 15 petals.
These natural hybrids are a modern breakthrough. People across much of the United States can enjoy their beauty, even in smaller yards.
It’s not just people that admire their flower power, either. You’ll delight in the antics of your local butterflies and honey bees, who come calling at these nectar-rich early resources.
Keep your camera close and start collecting all the different species. This gorgeous tree form is an ecologically sound, “feel good” choice, for sure.
Trim a branch or two to bring indoors. These stunning, fragrant, white, star-shaped flowers make very sophisticated cut flower arrangements.
As spring wears on, you’ll appreciate their luxuriant, pointed green foliage densely held on the profuse branching. You’ll get your money’s worth from these valuable trees.
Screen out unsightly views. Shade your patio. Beautifully separate your space with help from Merrill Magnolia.
Leonard Messel Magnolia Tree
Leonard Messel Magnolia Tree (Buy Online)
Gain a glorious focal point, the easy way! With ravishing, bi-colored flowers, this showy, Star Magnolia-type fit anywhere…even in courtyards and other small spaces.
Our tree experts have carefully crafted the lovely Leonard Messel Magnolia Tree Form (Magnolia x loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’) into a single trunk tree form. They are breathtaking in bloom.
Purple buds emerge in late winter on the bare branches. You’ll be thrilled to track their elongation and growth as a sure sign that Old Man Winter is nearly finished.
Leonard Messel is a bit delayed to open their buds, compared to other varieties. That’s a good thing!
Magnolia blooms can be damaged by frost, so the later the bloom period, the better. These freshly fragranced blooms are incredible, so you’d hate to miss them.
Held on bare branches, the purple buds open into long, strap-like petals. The interior is pure white, and the two-toned display works beautifully when studied up close.
At a distance, the flowering display reads a blended lilac. As the flowers age, they’ll mature into a lovely lavender pink with variation from bloom to bloom.
Frankly, it’s no wonder why this delightful tree won the prestigious Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society. The bloom is showy, yet refined, and so welcome after a long, cold winter.
Honey bees appreciate the flowers, too. Feel good about this choice to support the beneficial pollinators in your neighborhood.
It’s okay to sneak a few of the branches for elegant, long-lasting cut flower arrangements. Their fresh, lemony scent only adds to the delightful experience.
These pretty trees also provide shade and screening all season. Use them with pride in your front yard, or appreciate their charm in the backyard, too.
Bigleaf Magnolia
Bigleaf Magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla) has large, captivating light green-yellow foliage that has huge, fragrant, creamy-white flowers that fade into a rosy pink tint bloom in the spring.
In the late summer, you will be enchanted by the egg-shaped red fruits that mature in late summer and are quite attractive.
You won’t ever have to be disappointed in your landscaping again after you plant Bigleaf Magnolia as your property’s specimen tree. It brings so many ornamental features to the table that will last for years to come!
To allow your tree to grow to its beautiful mature size, plant in full sun to partial shade with rich well-drained soil. If you are wanting to spoil your tree, plant mulch around the base to ensure even moisture.
This tree is rather low maintenance and disease resistant making your life a lot easier. You simply just have to sit back and enjoy its beauty!
Cucumber Tree Magnolia
Cucumber Tree Magnolia (Buy Online)
The Magnolia, Cucumber Tree, Magnolia acuminata, is a little known tree that has considerable landscape merit!
It has a very regular, pyramidal form with a strong central leader as a young tree, and then becomes rounded with age. Unlike most magnolias, the flowers are not showy. The 2″ to 3″ perfect, slightly fragrant greenish-yellow flowers bloom high upon the tree in May to early June; emerge after the tree is in leaf. They are not very noticeable because they blend into the foliage and may not be produced until the tree is fairly old.
The fruit looks somewhat like a small, bumpy cucumber and turns pinkish-red in late summer. Songbirds, squirrels, and mice eat the seeds. With a medium to fast growth rate, Cucumber Magnolia is an exceptional tree for large properties and prefers moist, deep, acid soil and full sun.
A medium to fast-growing tree, the Cucumber Tree is native primarily within the Appalachian belt. Not recommended as a street tree, however, the Cucumber Trees are excellent shade trees for parks and gardens!
- Pyramidal Shape
- Medium – Fast Growth
- Excellent Shade Tree
- Unusual Fruit Attracts Wildlife
Southern Magnolia
Southern Magnolia (Buy Online)
The Southern Magnolia is the quintessential southern tree. As beautiful as it is strong, this large evergreen deserves to be admired. Enormous, white blooms burst open in spring and summer unleashing the tantalizing, sweet aroma of the Magnolia. Deep green leaves shine in the southern sun. Peek underneath and you will find these leaves velvety and rusty brown. What a unique look! Red seeds and fuzzy cream to pink seed pods add color, depth, and interest.
Magnolia Butterflies
Magnolia Butterflies (Buy Online)
Butterflies Magnolias are multi-stemmed ornamental trees. It would certainly succeed as a prime focus anywhere in your yard or sprinkle a few in the middle of other non-flowering trees for included seasonal interest. You can choose to grow it as a solitary tree or let it spread into a multi-stemmed beauty. Reproduced by magnolia professional Phil Savage, the Magnolia Butterflies is a cross between the Cucumber Magnolia and the Yulan Magnolia. This deciduous variety flowers before the foliage showing up. The blooms give way to lavish oval-shaped green leaves in the summer season. The magnolia’s lovely pyramid form makes it an aesthetic centerpiece for every growing season. Magnolia Butterflies is small enough to suit a small to midsize garden and also can be used as a specimen tree or as part of a mixed border.
