We plant lovers are spoiled by spring. From late February through to May there are countless highlights. We’ve already had the carpets of snowdrops, the flush of daffodils and a storm of cherry blossom.
Alongside these spring stalwarts, magnificent magnolias flower, their delicate scent wafting on the air for those privileged enough to get close.
A native of eastern Asia and the Americas, magnolias come in a variety of sizes and can be semi-evergreen, evergreen or deciduous. They flower in colours ranging from pure whites and bright yellows to eye-catching pinks and moody purples. Although generally associated with spring, some species put on a much later display.
The blooms of the earlier flowering varieties have unfurled over recent weeks, peaking as spring advances. Sometimes magnolias can be temperamental, difficult even, but the rewards they provide justify the effort and what can sometimes be a long wait from planting to seeing those distinctive flowers.
It’s a little bewildering how this elegant and exotic plant became associated with one of the blandest and most neutral paint colours. Conceived in the aspirational and newly affluent 1950s, ‘magnolia’ was the name given to a creamy, stone-like, inoffensive paint that covered the walls of every rented property in the closing decades of the 20th century.
We really shouldn’t be too surprised by marketeers turning meaning on its head. There was, for instance, nothing distinguished or royal about ‘Regal’ cigarettes, while submerging your hands in hot water and detergent was never likely to make them feel ‘as soft as your face’.
The aim with the paint was to convey exoticism and class but also an unconventional coupling of robustness and beauty. We associate magnolia with the advent of spring – delicate, beguiling flowers yet there’s still a chill in the air.
For all I know, magnolia coloured paint could be fashionable once again though most likely under a new moniker. It too will seek to evoke versatility, toughness and beauty, characteristics shared by these trees and shrubs. That said, avoid exposed, windy sites and also be wary of frost pockets, as the emerging buds on the spring flowering varieties can be damaged during cold snaps.
When it comes to choice, beginners are unlikely to go wrong with Magnolia stellata. A deciduous shrub, growing only to 1.5m-2.5m after 10 years, it has a compact, bushy habit, making it perfect for small-ish spaces.
It is a good containerised option, which with the right care and attention will develop into a compact, well-shaped tree. It flowers profusely in early to mid-spring, producing big (12cm across) yet delicate-looking flowers, which can be anything from pure white to faintly pink-flushed. After the flowers, light green leaves appear.
A bigger tree producing similar shaped, but pale lilac pink flowers is Magnolia x loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’, which flowers profusely and reaches around 8m at maturity.
Magnolia Soulangeana is a large deciduous shrub or small tree with the most fabulous pastel pink and white flowers which emerge on bare branches in spring.
This plant is commonly called the ‘saucer Magnolia’ and is known for being comparatively easy to grow. It is relatively tolerant of wind and alkaline soils, growing up to 15m and a width of around 6m. Magnolias really can be the spring showpiece of a garden.
Put the big ones in prominent positions or with other trees in woodland garden situations – but give them plenty of room to show off. Most prefer soil tending towards acidic, although some, including Magnolia stellata and Magnolia x loebneri, are happy in alkaline soils.
