Horticultural News.
Our Magnolia tree, that struggles to survive, is now in flower. This has to be one of nature’s most glorious perfumed flowers and the Grandiflora is a truly beautiful tree when kept well.
Magnolia grandiflora. Common Names: southern magnolia, bull bay, Family: Magnoliaceae (magnolia Family) Southern magnolia is a large, broad-leafed evergreen tree that can grow 60-90 ft (18-27 m) in height with a trunk up to 2-3 ft (0.6-0.9 m) in diameter. It’s trunk is typically straight and erect with spreading branches that form a dense, broadly pyramidal crown. The evergreen leaves are large 5-8 in (13-20 cm) long, leathery and dark glossy green above with rusty, velveteen undersides. Southern magnolia has large, showy white flowers that are 8-12 in (20-30 cm) in diameter. These have a pleasant fragrance and appear throughout the spring and summer. The fruits are reddish-brown conelike structures, 2-4 in (5-10 cm) long, with bright red kidney shaped seeds that hang from little threads when fully mature in autumn.