Japanese Magnolias

There are many small flowering trees and shrubs that help brighten our landscapes through the spring season. When they begin to bloom, we know that we are on the verge of some warmer weather. Blooming now is one of the more beautiful of our early spring-flowering trees, the Japanese magnolia. From the LSU Ag Center comes horticulturist Dan Gill sharing some interesting facts surrounding this magnificent flowering specimen.

The Japanese magnolia opens its fat, furry flower buds in February before the foliage emerges. Unlike the native Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), the Japanese magnolia is deciduous and drops its leaves in winter. The flower blooming on a leafless tree makes for an especially beautiful display.

The flowers are large and showy and come in a variety of colors, including white, lavender-pink, rose-purple, dark reddish purple and light yellow. The brightest color is on the outside of the petals, while the inner surface tends to be creamy white. The flowers range in size from about four to six inches across, sometimes larger.

When the flowers are young, the petals are held fairly upright, giving the flowers a distinctively tulip-like appearance. As the flowers age, the petals tend to open up and lay down, creating a more saucer-shaped flower. The flowers have a spicy to musky fragrance.

The Latin name for the Japanese magnolia is Magnolia x soulangeana. The “x” in the middle of the name indicates that this is a hybrid rather than a true species. Most of the Japanese magnolias we grow are the result of a cross between two Chinese species, Magnolia liliiflora (lily magnolia) and Magnolia denudata (white saucer or Yulan magnolia). This delightful tree was introduced to England from Japanese sources. So, even though its ancestors are native to China, this tree is commonly called Japanese magnolia.

Even though they are blooming, now is a great time to plant a Japanese magnolia if you would like to add one to your landscape. The weather is still cool, and the hot weather of summer is still at least three months away. That means it is possible to select a tree in bloom at the nursery. This is important since there are a number of cultivars available with different flower colors and shapes.

When you go to the nursery, you’ll likely see several cultivars of Japanese magnolias available. One called Alexandria is popular. It produces the classic light, purplish-pink flowers typically seen in these trees.

You may also see Susan (deep purplish-red), Betty (rosy-pink) or Jane (reddish-purple slightly twisted petals). These cultivars tend to be shrubbier and bloom somewhat later, which minimizes the chance they’ll be damaged by a late freeze.

When selecting Japanese magnolias, you’ll notice that the trees are generally grown with numerous trunks. It’s common to grow these small trees with several trunks, but too many looks untidy. Over the second and third years after planting, thin the number of trunks to about three to five for a more attractive tree.

It’s important to plant Japanese magnolias in a well-drained, sunny to partly sunny location. Make sure you do not plant it too close to the house. It will need room to spread about 10 or 15 feet. If the tree is tall enough to be unstable, stake it to provide support for about a year.

Like all newly planted trees, plan on watering your young tree regularly during hot, dry weather this summer. No fertilizer is required the first year, but you may begin fertilizing next spring.

As the years go by and the tree grows taller, gradually remove the lower branches to raise the canopy to the desired height, generally eight to ten feet from the ground.

Japanese magnolias, particularly young trees in the first several years after planting, frequently look terrible in late summer. From about July until they drop their leaves, the leaves look progressively worse and worse. The foliage gets spots, scorched edges and may even drop early. This is mostly due to stress during the first few years when the trees are getting established. This is exacerbated by dry weather and proper irrigation will help.

Don’t expect these trees to grow quickly. Growth rate is moderate and improves over the years as trees get better established. If a tree grows very little and stays rather stunted after several years in the ground, the tree may not like the location. In that situation, moving it to a different location sometimes helps.

Tim Lewis is a Georgia Green Industry Association Certified Plant Professional, gardening writer, former Perry High School horticulture instructor, and former horticulturalist at Henderson Village and Houston Springs. He and his wife, Susan, own and operate Lewis Farms Nursery located on Hwy 26 two miles east of Elko, where he was born and raised. He can be reached at (478)954-1507 or timlewis1@windstream.net.

HHJ News