Benefits of planting magnolia trees

Are you thinking of adding some new trees or shrubs to your yard or landscape this year?  Before you spend hours researching, consider the magnolia. This truly magnificent tree is easy to grow, comes in a variety of sizes to fit almost any garden and provides gorgeous blooms. Perhaps best of all though, magnolias bloom early in the spring, just when we’re looking for any and all signs of winter’s end.

Planting and growing them is quite easy too. They prefer a sunny spot and most varieties are cold hardy to USDA Zone 5. They can be planted as you would any tree, lining the top of the root ball with the ground level, watering in well and adding a few handfuls of controlled release fertiliser each spring. Pruning can be done if you spot and serious cross branches – otherwise just let them go and enjoy!

The Magnolia Jury series shown here were bred by the renowned plant breeder Mark Jury in New Zealand. Their size, shape and uniformity of colour make these Magnolias unrivaled. Mark Jury was recognised by the International Magnolia Society in 2003 for his breeding by being awarded the most prestigious D.Todd Gresham Award.

Magnolia Black Tulip is a glorious specimen with goblet shaped flowers 15cm (6″) wide. This magnolia grows to only about 3.5m (11ft) and about 1.5m (4.5ft) wide, so it’s a great option for smaller gardens and courtyards.

Magnolia Burgundy Star is perfect for small space gardens. It has an upright columnar growth habit, growing to a height of about 3.5m (11ft) while being only about 1m (3-4 feet) wide.  Lightly fragrant, Burgundy Star blossoms are a gorgeous claret red and cover the tree in early spring.