Every gardener is a bit of a gambler, or they’d pursue a safe hobby – say, skydiving. What about those gardeners who really like to walk on the wild side? Well, they plant saucer magnolias.
Saucer magnolias welcome spring with the earliest of blooms!
Photo Credit: Gerald L. Klingaman
While other trees remain bare in the late winter/early spring landscape, saucer magnolia blooms in a fragrant, pinkish-purple sea of color.
Photo Credit: Gerald L. Klingaman
In fall, the tree’s leaves take on a golden glow.
Photo Credit: Gerald L. Klingaman
This beautiful tree blooms early – when the risk of losing the tree’s precious flowers to spring frost is great. But when they’re able to bloom, boy, the payout is high! Once every three or four years we get one of those springs that’s just perfect for saucer magnolias, and they put on a fantastic show! And it always reassures me of the delicate beauty spring brings.
Known botanically as Magnolia x soulangiana, saucer magnolias are precocious bloomers and are usually well-budded even as small 5-foot-tall specimens. They’re slow-growing, low-branched beauties, and it takes them some time to reach their mature size of 25 feet tall and wide. Give your magnolia the best advantage by planting it in a fertile, well-drained garden soil that receives some supplemental watering during summer droughts.
Late in winter or very early in spring, saucer magnolia’s fuzzy, gray, pinky-sized buds begin to expand rapidly to produce 5-inch-diameter, cup-shaped blooms, usually with nine petals. The outer surface of the petals (magnolia aficionados call them tepals) is pinkish-purple, while the inner surface is white. There are more than 40 cultivars to choose from. Consider ‘Alexandrina’ (rose-purple blooms on the outside, white inside), ‘Lennei’ (dark purple blooms on the outside, white inside), ‘Lilliputian’ (light pink blooms and a smaller plant – 12-15 feet tall) and ‘Jon Jon’ (large, almost-white blooms) for your garden.
No mater what type you pick, know that these beautiful blooms are extremely delicate! Temperatures below 28 degrees F will turn the petals to black mush, and if temps fall below 20 degrees F, stem damage can occur, and the plants may freeze back. But if you live in the northern reaches of saucer magnolia’s planting range (USDA hardiness zones 4-9), you can help protect your tree’s blooms by planting it the right spot.
North slopes and the north side of buildings don’t get as much winter sun, so the soil stays cooler and blooming is delayed – offering your tree a better chance to bloom beautifully despite fluctuating spring temps. Conversely, south slopes and the south side of homes warm up first, encouraging plants growing there to bloom earlier. If planting on the north side of your home isn’t an option, try applying a fresh layer of mulch in late winter to keep the soil cool longer and delay flowering a few days.
Because they’re relatively small at maturity and their roots are ropelike, saucer magnolia can be planted close to the house or patio without fear that the coarse roots will damage any structures. So try them by your door (where you can easily enjoy the sweet perfume of the flowers), as lawn specimens or mixed with other landscape plants in a flowering border.
When it comes to early spring bloomers, few can beat the overwhelming beauty of saucer magnolia. No matter what the weather brings, this is one small tree that’s definitely worth the gamble!
