Magnificent magnolias this spring
After the gloomy grey of winter, it’s always a joy to see the garden return to its glory in spring.
Magnolias deliver that joy in abundance, bursting into life in early spring with large, magnificent blooms. Magnolia plants are wonderful ornamental trees or large shrubs that are available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes with something to suit any garden. These easy to grow beauties are very low maintenance, making them perfect everyone.
Perfect for small gardens, Susan is a slow growing deciduous shrub or small tree with fragrant reddish-purple flowers in mid to late spring. It has fantastic spring flowers and is a gorgeous magnolia with scented goblet-shaped flowers. As spring approaches, the buds' protective furry coat cracks open to reveal a lovely deep reddish-purple bud which later opens to red-purple and pink within - a real statement in your garden.
If you love the gorgeous blooms and heavenly scent of pink magnolia flowers, but don’t have the room to grow a large magnolia tree in your yard or garden, then you will be thrilled to meet Betty. Since it was bred to not only be smaller than other magnolias, but to bloom later than them too, Betty is less apt to suffer frost damage in spring. Be patient with Betty, though, as it takes two to three years to flower, but it is so worth the wait!
Noted for its frost resistance, Leonard Messel is a vigorous medium sized deciduous shrub or small tree of remarkable beauty when in full bloom. Leonard Messel bears pale pink, goblet-shaped flowers that become more star shaped as they open. The flowers appear before the foliage, making them particularly spectacular.
These flowers are always a welcome sight as they burst open on bare branches, heralding the start of spring. Early in the spring before the leaves appear, the grey silky buds open and allow the large white, starry flowers to unfurl. The flowers need shelter from frost and wind which discolour the blooms. The plant creates a spectacular show when covered in blossoms, with flowers from the top of the plant to the lowest branches. Even very small plants are likely to bloom.