Magnolia Trees

Magnolia soulangeana

Magnolia Tree

Common Name: Magnolia TreeLatin Name: Magnolia x soulangeanaSoil: Moist, well-drained, acidic soilPosition: Full sun or partial shadeFlowering period/colour: WhiteHardiness: Fully hardyEventual height/spread: 4m/4mSpecial features: Stunning spring blossom. Large, showy flowers. Deciduous foliage. The Magnolia soulangeana is a favourite for garden enthusiasts up and down the UK. This is mainly due to its eye catching seasonal displays!

 Flourishing in well-drained, loamy soil and performing best in full sun or partial shade, it graces your garden with a magnificent array of pink, purple, or white blossoms in spring.Beyond its floral display, this tree offers large, showy flowers and a lush foliage that transitions through the seasons, painting the landscape with vibrant hues of green before adorning itself with the golden shades of autumn.With a commanding height of 4 metres and a generous spread of 4 metres over 20 years, this Magnolia Tree really is a sight to behold.Pick up a Magnolia soulangeana today and watch the impressive spring scenes unfold in your outdoor space.

Magnolia grandiflora Exmouth

Magnolia Tree

Common Name: Evergreen Magnolia ExmouthLatin Name: Magnolia grandiflora 'Exmouth' Soil: Prefers moist, clay soil and either neutral or acidicPosition: Full sunHardiness: Fully hardy and frost hardy down to -18°CFlowering period: Late summer onwardsFlowering colour: CreamEventual height/spread: 10m/10mSpecial features: Evergreen leaves and large creamy white flowers. The 'Exmouth' is a delightful evergreen variety of magnolia which offers interest all year round. The large, glossy leaves are a rich, dark green colour and are oblong shaped; the leaves make the perfect foil for the outstanding floral display which comes from late summer onwards. The flowers are extremely large and can be around 30cm across and these are bowl-shaped and a creamy white colour. The eye-catching flowers carry a sweet scent and are very popular with pollinating insects like bees.

Magnolia grandiflora Francois Treyve

Magnolia Tree

Latin Name: Magnolia grandiflora 'Francois Treyve' Soil: Moist, well-drained, tolerates chalkPosition: Full sun Flowering period/colour: July-August/WhiteHardiness: Fully hardyHeight and spread in 10 years: 5m/3m (can be pruned to be kept smaller)Special features: Large white flowers that are sweetly scented and glossy evergreen leaves. This is an outstanding variety of magnolia which features the most beautiful white flowers that appear in July and August. The flowers open from a tulip shaped bud and then open up to a bowl-like shape of scented white petals. This magnolia is a French native and even though it was propagated over 100 years ago it is still quite a rare find here in the UK. It features thick and glossy dark green leaves that are ovate in shape and large in size, with this magnolia being an evergreen variety it adds a healthy dose of colour to your garden all year round.

Magnolia kobus

Northern Japanese Magnolia Tree

Common Name: Northern Japanese Magnolia Latin Name: Magnolia kobusSoil: Moist, well-drained, acidic soilPosition: Full sun or partial shadeFlowering period/colour: April/ WhiteHardiness: Fully hardyEventual height/spread: 10m/6mSpecial features: Delicate white flowers that appear on bare stems in April. The kobus is a wonderful variety of Magnolia and the large white flowers are a welcome addition to any garden in early spring. When mature, the flowers well and truly smother the tree and create a vision of snowy white. The spring flowers later become fruits and the pink fruits split to reveal vivid scarlet seeds, which are popular with the birds. This deciduous tree holds vivid green leaves in spring and summer and the obovate leaves are delicately aromatic. This tree is a Japanese native and it is well-suited to being planted in a medium-sized garden.

Magnolia Butterflies

Magnolia Tree

Common Name: Yellow MagnoliaLatin Name: Magnolia 'Butterflies'Soil: Moist soil, clay soil, neutral-acidPosition: Full sun or partial Shade, will also tolerate majority shade.Hardiness: Fully hardy, frost hardy down to -15°CFlowering period: SpringFlowering colour: YellowEventual height/spread: 4m/3mSpecial features: The best of two Magnolias combined; this Hybrid has large, yellow fragrant flowers in the spring.Magnolia 'Butterflies' can be either a small multi-stemmed shrub or a small tree with an upright central leader. Tulip-like, yellow fragrant flowers (4-5 inches across) bloom in late winter to early spring and appear before the leaves. This Yellow Magnolia is ideal for a smaller garden situation due to its smaller maximum height in comparison to other magnolias. Place near a seating area in the garden to fully enjoy the fragrance from these beautiful flowers.

Magnolia Alba Superba

Magnolia Tree

Common Name: Magnolia TreeLatin Name: Magnolia x soulangeana 'Alba Superba'Soil: Moist, well-drained, acidic soilPosition: Full sun or partial shadeFlowering period/colour: WhiteHardiness: Fully hardyEventual height/spread: 6m/4mSpecial features: Extremely hardy plant with fragrant white flowers borne in early spring.Magnolia x soulangeana 'Alba Superba' is an extremely hardy shrub or small tree with very fragrant, showy white flowers that are born in early-mid spring. The flowers are tulip-shaped and 3-6 inches across, they appear on bare branches which creates a stunning visual effect. The deciduous leaves are a luscious green colour and fall every autumn. This Magnolia is ideal for planting near a seated area in the garden to fully appreciate the fragrant flowers.

Magnolia Sieboldii

Chinese Magnolia Tree

Common Name: Chinese Magnolia, Oyama MagnoliaLatin Name: Magnolia SieboldiiSoil: Average, medium moisture, well-drained soils; preferably acid or neutral.Position: Part shade in warmer climates or full sun elsewhere. Flowering period/colour: Early summer until September.Hardiness: Fully hardyHeight and spread in 20 years: 4-8m/8mSpecial features: Attractive, fragrant, cup-shaped white pendulous flowers, with rich red stamens. Handsome foliage. Historical species from dinosaur era. Chinese magnolia is a handsome spreading tree with dark green oval leaves and white cup-shaped pendulous flowers with striking floral organs within. The magnolia is a species with a long running history. Floral organs from these plants have been found in the fossil record, so that the plants are known to have been contemporaries of the dinosaurs. This species is native to China, East-Asia, Japan and Korea, but it settles extremely well in the UK and can be grown quite successfully as far north as Finland, where a specimen is grown in the Arboretum Mustila. Most Magnolias flower in the spring, but this species flowers from early summer through to September, providing a long period of interest. The plant is best sited where the flowers can be seen from below as their red stamens are a particularly attractive feature. Chinese magnolia prefers part shade in warm climates but can accommodate full sun elsewhere. It is best pruned late summer or winter to avoid bleeding of sap. Very little pruning is required and the tree’s naturally attractive shape benefits from being left to develop naturally.

Magnolia George Henry Kern

Magnolia Tree

Common Name: Magnolia TreeLatin Name: Magnolia 'George Henry Kern'Soil: Moist soil, clay soil, neutral-acidPosition: Full sun or partial Shade, will also tolerate majority shade.Hardiness: Fully hardy, frost hardy down to -15°CFlowering period: SpringFlowering colour: PinkEventual height/spread: 5m/4mSpecial features: A compact variety with a long flowering period.Magnolia 'George Henry Kern' is a compact and slow growing deciduous shrub or small tree. It is one of the most popular magnolias in cultivation because of its long flowering period from April through to June. The flowers are deep rose pink in bud on green-yellow branches. This plant is ideal for smaller garden areas perhaps close to a seating arrangement to fully enjoy the fragrance of these dazzling flowers.

Magnolia Merrill

Magnolia Tree

Common Name: Magnolia TreeLatin Name: Magnolia x loebneri 'Merrill'Soil: Chalky, alkaline, clay, heavy, dry, sandy,Position: Enjoys a sheltered spot in full or partial shade.Hardiness: Full hardy, frost hardy down to -12°CFlowering period: SpringFlowering colour: WhiteEventual height/spread: 10m/8mSpecial features: Goblet-shaped, fragranced white flowers open up to a beautiful star shape on this deciduous small tree.Magnolia x loebneri 'Merrill' is a vigorous small tree with large, white and sweetly scented blooms in spring. These flowers, which are goblet-shaped at first, become star-shaped as they open up. The flowers open on to bare branches in spring, contrasting with the delicate brown branches, which creates a lovely effect. This deciduous tree features oblong leaves which retain a green colour throughout spring, summer and autumn. This Magnolia is best placed in an area close to where people can fully appreciate the scented flowers.

Magnolia Yellow Bird

Magnolia Tree

Common Name: Magnolia Yellow BirdLatin Name: Magnolia x brooklynensis 'Yellow Bird'Soil: Appreciates consistent moisture throughout the year, avoid very dry or very wet soil.Position: Full sun to part shade. Flowering period/colour: April, yellowHardiness: Fully hardy in the severest European climates (to below -20°C).Height and spread in 20-50 years: 6 to 12m/3 to 8mSpecial features: Attractive yellow flower and soft oval leaves. Architectural open tree structure, suitable to be a statement tree for a small garden. This is a fine, yellow-flowering Magnolia tree with large cup-shaped yellow flowers borne in April. This is quite a large tree and would suit a larger space, with room for the tree to fill out over time. The yellow flowers are borne on unclothed stems, and so the tree would best be sited against a background that contrasts with the intense yellow colour. This might perhaps be a blue sky viewed from below, or from a distance.

Magnolia Spectrum

Magnolia Tree

Common Name: Magnolia SpectrumLatin Name: Magnolia × soulangeana 'Spectrum'Soil: Appreciates consistent moisture throughout the year, avoid very dry or very wet soil.Position: Full sun to part shade. Flowering period/colour: April-May/Pinky-purpleHardiness: Fully hardy in the severest European climates (to below -20°C).Height/spread in 10-20 years: 4-8m/4-8m Special features: RHS Award of Garden Merit. Large, goblet-shaped flowers. Pink-purple from base to tip outside and pale pink inside. Deciduous tree with upright form. Magnolia 'Spectrum' is a fine, later flowering example of the Magnolia group, with a upright form and large goblet-shaped flowers in spring. The flowers are pink-purple from base to tips outside and lighter pink on the inside. This variety has an award of garden merit from the RHS indicating that it reliably produces a fine display. It is a sibling hybrid to 'Galaxy', with larger flowers and broader habit. 

Magnolia Louisa Fete

Magnolia Tree

Common Name: Magnolia Louisa FeteLatin Name: Magnolia salicifolia 'Louisa Fete'Soil: Appreciates consistent moisture throughout the year, avoid very dry or very wet soil.Position: Full sun to part shade. Flowering period/colour: April-May/WhiteHardiness: Fully hardy in the severest European climates (to below -20°C).Height in 10 years: 5m Special features: Dainty conical tree, white flowers in early Spring.Magnolia Louisa Fete is a dainty conical Magnolia from van Gimborn Arboretum in Holland. It is deciduous with narrow small leaves, compared to the majority of Magnolias. The petite white flowers are borne in April-May.