Some of you may know that TPP is a bit nuts when it comes to Magnolias or other magnoliids.  This was a tough winter and the polar vortex brought in a blast of very cold air and until plants leaf out and/or bloom you don't know the extent of damage.  Most of TPP's plants look OK. So far the freezing damage seems limited to an upright growing Cephalotaxus (plum yew), a not at all hardy hybrid magnolia, and an Ashe magnolia a long ways from it's home in the pan handle of Florida (what do you expect?).  The latter may still sprout new shoots from a well-mulched base.  Around here star magnolias are the earliest, and the blooms often freeze.  TPP's is planted in a cool, shady place (probably to shady), but that holds back flowering just a few days which is often just enough.  Presently Magnolia loebneri 'Leonard Messel', known for its frost tolerance, is earliest (one parent of this hybrid is a star magnolia and the other is M. kobus.).  Just a day or two later and the willow-leafed Magnolia salicifolia, opens.  The flowers are generally a little smaller in diameter than star magnolias, and with fewer, wider tepals, and they have a lovely fragrance.  Most of you have never seen this species as it isn't in the trade and has to grow to tree size to really flower well.  TPP was patient, and now his tree looks lovely.  Loebneri also looks a bit like a star magnolia, except it's tepals are pink on the outside especially this variety.

Magnolia bonanza

One consequence of our late spring is that plants held back by the cool weather are all rushing to flower.  As a result our gardens had quite a few magnolias in flower all at once.  Right now Magnolia soulangiana, saucer magnolia, M. liliflora 'Ann', tulip flowered magnolia, and M. x butterflies are all in flower at once.  So that would be pink/porcelain, purple/pink, and yellow flowers terrific.  TPP couldn't be happier.

A Magnolia experiment

While in western Florida, my dear Sister suggested we visit a native plants nursery in Talahassee, not so she could enhance the diversity of her wildlife preserve, but to amuse TPP. They had some very nice plants, lots of natives, and that included Magnolia ashei, the Ashe Magnolia, sometimes considered to be a M. macrophylla var. ashei, a variety of big-leafed magnolia that is only found in western Florida, primarily along the Apalachicola River (map here). Some very nice seedlings were available for only $10! TPP could not resist; he has a thing for magnolias dontcha know. Now TPP knows what you are thinking. What kind of wild-eyed optimist would think this magnolia would survive in the upper midwest?  There is a funny thing about narrow endemics like this shrub; they generally can grow in a much wider area than where they are found in nature. In other words, it's not some general physical requirement or local adaptation that has limited their distribution. Other big-leafed magnolias grow here including your basic M. macrophylla. In one garden not too distant from here grows a southern magnolia in a protected area, and a visiting botanist says an Ashe magnolia is growing in a garden about an hours drive west from here. So for $10, TPP will give it a try in a protected location. It shouldn't get very big in any case; locally bay magnolias grow as large shrubs mostly whereas they grow into trees in the Carolinas and the Ashe magnolia is an understory shrub. So who among you wouldn't do the same thing? Isn't that a great flower?  And of course the big leaves just look so exotic, so tropical in a way. TPP already has a M. tripetala, another big-leafed species.  No one really knows how cold hardy this species is.  Some sources suggest zone 6, and 3 other magnolias in TPP's collection are of similar hardiness ratings and doing fine including after last year's rock bottom zone 5 winter temps. Lastly, these are seed grown from other cultivated trees, not seedlings or seeds collected in the wild. Only wish the native star anise was tougher. 

A new Magnolia record!

Two new magnolias, a yellow-flowered butterflies hybrid and an anise magnolia (M. salicifolia) were both in flower for the first time.  The anise magnolia is 10-12 years old but was just a stick when obtained; now it's a substantial small tree and just getting mature. These joined our mainstays of the past few years: a saucer magnolia (M. x soulangiana), a star magnolia (M. stellata), and a tulip-flowered magnolia (M. liliiflora - 'Anne')(pictured).  So a new record - 5 magnolias in flower at the same time!  The anise and star are the earliest, and the butterflies and saucer are the latest, so they are at different stages, but overlapping. Our other magnolias are early summer flowering so this record is likely to stand for awhile, unless TPP buys some more magnolias.  Wonder when that special order will show up? 

Queen of Spring - Ann

As some of you probably know by now, the Phactor has a thing for magnolias.  Why he just bought a new "Butterflies" magnolia the other day and eagerly awaits it arrival, although no flowers will be forthcoming until next spring.  The acceleration of spring afforded by two weeks of summer temperatures in March have also compressed flowering, and three species of Magnolia that usually flower in a sequence are in flower all at the same time: star, saucer, and tulip.  They look quite lovely together, as the occupy the same portion of the garden and are spaced such that they do not overlap when viewed from either the street or across the gardens.  But the undoubted queen is Magnolia liliiflora, sometimes called the "tulip" magnolia because it has rather dark pink tepals that it holds in an erect position.  Both the star and saucer magnolia are more popular, and more widely planted, leaving the less popular Ann a much under appreciated plant.  Do consider getting one.  Here's the star and saucer (not quite fully open as the tepals spread widely) magnolia flowers for comparison.  Briefly the Phactor thought about letting you vote on this, but actually on this topic, your opinion matters not at all.