Is there a Magnolia in your future? 

Early April can prove to be a difficult time for me to find just one thing to write about.  There is so much going on around us now that often some plants get lost in the overall thrill and excitement of the spring season.  The plum trees have been blooming like clouds of cotton candy for several weeks now.  Flowering Pears are coming into full bloom as we speak and some varieties of flowering cherries are showing color as well.  In the midst of all this is a tree that often gets overlooked.  I am referring to the Magnolia.

Directly across the street from my house lives my good neighbors Steve and Mary Ross.  In their front yard is a fine specimen of a Magnolia soulangeana or as it is more commonly know as, a tulip tree or perhaps more correctly a cup and saucer Magnolia.  Every morning for the last two weeks I have been watching its buds ever so gradually swell up larger and larger and slowly start to show their delicate pink petals.  By the time you read this column I am pretty sure they will be fully open and in their height of glory.  For roughly two weeks baring any freezes they will continue to illuminate Steve and Mary’s front yard, all the time competing with the plums, pears and cherries you see all over town.  It seems so unfair that they don’t get the same attention.

There are many versions of this Magnolia tree and the one that usually blooms first is the Star Magnolia.  This year however it is looking like it is going to bloom about the same time as the saucer Magnolia in the Ross’s yard.  Don’t ask me why, I haven’t got a clue.  This is a sweet tree that only grows to about 10-12 feet tall and as wide.  Some might say it is really just a big shrub but for the smaller yards that most of us are being forced to live in it is the perfect size.  The flowers are pure white and the petals are 3 inches long and ½ inch wide.  It has an overall delicate look about it that I rather enjoy.  The variety Leonard Messell boasts pink blushed petals that are slightly larger than the Star Magnolia.

The larger saucer Magnolia like in the Ross’s yard actually comes in several colors. Rustica rubra is probably the classic version you see in most older yards.  The flowers are a good 6 inches across and are formed into a cup shape with an extra row creating the saucer, hence the name “cup and saucer” magnolia.  It is this flower that many gardeners refer to as the tulip flower and where the name tulip tree comes from.

The common saucer magnolia makes a tree with a rounded head that can be 20 feet tall and 15 feet wide.  .  Depending on the variety, the flowers can range from pure white to dark, dark purple.  Magnolia liliflora nigra has marvelously dark purple flowers.

Vulcan has huge (and I mean huge) dark reddish-purple blooms and Yellow Bird and Elizabeth actually have yellow blooms (a relatively new color for magnolias).  These varieties will grow 25-30 feet tall and only 10-12 feet wide so they will fit into a narrower space.

Early April is when the magnolias come into their glory and it is the best time to go shopping for them.  You can see them in full bloom now in the nursery and choose the colors and growth habit that suits you best.  Magnolias prefer full to half-day sun and will grow in just about any type of soil. They are tolerant of a good deal of abuse once they are established.  Excessively wet soil may be the only limiting factor in establishing these durable trees in our yards.  There are no bugs or diseases to worry about and the most common problem is that gardeners simply don’t allow enough room for them to mature.  You can even espalier them on a south facing wall although it’s a heck of a lot of work to keep them in check.

In short, they have just as beautiful flowers as the plums, pears and cherries without any disease or insect problems that these other trees often contract and are probably a heck of a lot easier to grow overall.  Isn’t it about time you planted a Magnolia in your yard?

Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville, a retail garden center that is celebrating its 60^th anniversary this year.  You can reach Steve at 425-334-2002 or online at sunnysidenursery@msn.com