Without a doubt, the most impressive of all flowering trees are the deciduous magnolias. During late winter and early spring walk in any older neighborhood in the East Bay and witness pure heaven in the form of a tree or large shrub. Magnificent huge flowers, often 4" to 8" across appear in white, pink, red, purple and even yellow on shapely bare branches. From summer to fall a rich, full canopy of oval, rounded or long strap-like leaves in spring green provide elegant shade underneath.

China is where horticulturists first encountered deciduous magnolias. The Yulan magnolia, or Magnolia denudata, (this is the large white-flowering specimen in front of the nursery) was thought to have been cultivated in China since the seventh century, where it was found in the gardens of the emperor. Buddhist monks in China planted Magnolia denudata at their temples, the large snow-white flowers symbolizing purity and openness. Sir Joseph Banks introduced it to England in 1789. Gangly and awkward in its youth, denudata ages into a magnificent multi-stemmed shrub or broad-spreading small tree. At maturity it may only reach 30 feet wide and tall. The specimen in front of Berkeley Hort is about 20 years old.

The next year, 1790, the Third Duke of Portland introduced Magnolia liliiflora, the purple lily magnolia. These magnolias are shrubby and upright with lovely lily shaped blooms. The flowers are white inside and purplish red outside. The most popular cultivar is M. lilliflora ‘Nigra’ with it’s blooms a striking very dark purplish red. M. lilliflora makes a beautiful focal point shrub in a smaller garden, growing to 12 feet high and 15 feet wide.

The beloved Magnolia x soulangeana, known as the Saucer Magnolia, is the result of a cross between the denudata and liliiflora species, thanks to a French cavalry officer, Chevalier Etienne Soulange-Bodin. This new cross was first published in 1827, and brought to England the following year. They are the most commonly found with pale pink saucer flowers and spring green colored new leaves. To this day the soulangeana hybrids are among the most beloved of all magnolias. The habit is multi-trunked and spreading, to 25’ by 25’. ‘Lilliputian’ and ‘Rustica Rubra’ are just two of the many wonderful varieties available. This is the multi-trunked magnificent wide tree we have all fallen in love with in the older residential areas of Piedmont, Oakland and Berkeley.

From Japan came the Magnolia stellata, the Star Magnolia, which reached Britain in 1877. The Star Magnolia has a flower with thin, strap-like leaves so that the flower opens to resemble a star. The form is shrubby and it grows slowly to 10 feet high and 20 feet wide. I have seen this form planted in a lawn in front of a picture widow, giving the homeowner a breathtaking flower display in the early spring.

My current favorite group of magnolias are hybrids developed in 1965, known as the "Little–Girl’ series. These are the Magnolia Kosar-DeVos Hybrids, named after wives, daughters and secretaries of the breeders at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. They are eight delightful cultivars of the Lily Magnolia crossed with select varieties of the Star Magnolia. ‘Ann’, ‘Betty’, ‘Judy’, ‘Randy’, ‘Ricki’, ‘Susan’, ‘Jane’ and ‘Pinkie’ are all multi-stemmed, rounded to conical in habit and grow upright to about 15 feet tall, and 10 to 15 feet wide. They were bred to flower later in spring, usually from March through May, before the leaves appear, giving the abundant flowers the spotlight. Flower color ranges from pale to deep red-purple and they are fragrant.

One reason magnolias are so beloved as landscape plants is that they are easy to grow and relatively pest-free. A very important thing to consider when planting any tree or shrub is the ultimate size of the plant. This is especially true for magnolias because they do not transplant well. Magnolias do best in full sun or morning shade with afternoon sun. As long as they receive adequate moisture a hot location is fine. Do not plant in too much shade, as they will become leggy and sparsely flowered. The planting site should also provide wind protection.

Start with a large planting hole, at least twice the size of the root ball. Take care when planting to avoid breaking the fleshy roots. Magnolias are surface feeders with shallow roots so be sure to mulch the top of the soil after planting, keeping the mulch away from the crown of the plant. My preference is fir mulch or my own compost for mulching. Proper irrigation during the first growing season is also important for the establishment of the plant. After that, they can be irrigated as needed (important in our dry summers) but should not be over watered. Keep a nice perimeter around the crown of the tree mulched but not planted-two to three feet on a smaller plant and larger as the magnolia matures. This rule applies also to magnolias planted in lawns.

In general pruning is only necessary in magnolias in the case of misshapen young plants. I advise pruning oddly shaped magnolias after flowering. The one exception is removal of rootstock suckers from grafted plants, which should be done as soon as they are noticed.

Good places to see great older Magnolia specimens are Filoli gardens in Woodside, and Strybing Arboretum in San Francisco. And be sure to take a walk in your neighborhood during February and March.

– Heidi