Every season offer its own distinct charm . Spring is replete with colouration , summer radiate vibrance , and fall showcases abundance .
While I love wintertime ’s peaceable sleep , I ca n’t help but hanker for a small act of elegance in my garden .
The crimson branch ofred sprig dogwoodsand grain of paperbark maple provides interest group , but I would roll in the hay a minuscule greenery .
Photo by David J. Stang, Wikimedia Commons, viaCC BY-SA.
Evergreen magnolias to the rescue !
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Even in the dark doldrums of January , the cinnamon and inscrutable unripe parting and persistent red fruits ofsouthern magnolia ( Magnolia grandiflora)bring welcome sunniness .
Photo by David J. Stang, Wikimedia Commons, viaCC BY-SA.
They shade the hellebore in my neighbor ’s garden from the winter sun , nod gracefully outside my sleeping room window in the February breeze , and run along the street of my piddling Ithiel Town , adorned with holiday ornamentation .
Evergreen magnolias awaken the winter landscape .
In this guide , we ’ll research some of the finest options , highlighting those with exceptional form or impressive flower size of it . Here ’s a preview :
Best Evergreen Magnolias
1 . Alta
2 . Bracken ’s Brown Beauty
3 . Claudia Wannamaker
4 . Coco
5 . D.D. Blanchard
6 . Edith Bogue
7 . Green Giant
8 . bill
9 . Hasse
10 . Henry Hicks
11 . Kay Parris
12 . short Gem
13 . Majestic Beauty
14 . Margaret Davis
15 . Miss Chloe
16 . Moonglow
17 . Northern Belle
18 . Palmberg
19 . Russet
20 . Samuel Sommer
21 . Sweet Thing
22 . Teddy Bear
23 . Timeless Beauty
When gardeners talk about evergreen magnolias , they typically mean southerly magnolias , which are faithfully evergreen in Zones 7 to 10 .
But there are a few other species that are semi - evergreen , like bigleaf ( M. macrophylla ) andsweetbay ( M. virginiana ) magnolias . These continue their leave of absence in warmer regions and shed them in cooler climate .
Sweetbays are hardy in Zones 5 to 10 and bigleafs thrive in zona 5 to 8 .
Depending on your position and chosen cultivar , the tree might stay evergreen anywhere from Zones 5 to 10 .
Alta ™ ( M. grandiflora‘TMGH ’ ) has a compact growth use and stays extremely dim , with tightly packed , inadequate leg .
It can eventually acquire up to 50 understructure tall and about half as wide with a columniform shape , though it takes a recollective time to make that size .
The tree probably wo n’t even touch a third of its eventual height in 10 years .
The foliage is pocket-size and dumbly packed , leaves have dark unripened top side and out of practice undersides . The white flowers are small but abundant . Alta ™ was stick in by Monrovia .
With its five- to six - inch flowers and impressive glossy green leave-taking , ‘ Bracken ’s Brown Beauty ’ is an unbeatable option if you have the quad .
It has a dumb habit with smaller flowers and folio than the species .
It tardily turn to about 50 feet magniloquent and 30 feet wide , though normally stays much smaller .
But what makes it really peculiar is that it grow dependably down to Zone 5 , so even those in colder part can enjoy the nimbus ofM. grandiflora .
The name honors Ray Bracken of Ray Bracken Nurseries in South Carolina .
He discovered the seedling in a batch of southern magnolias , and refined it before releasing it in 1968 .
This cultivar has remain democratic for colder climate grower who dream of a southern magnolia ever since .
M. grandiflora‘Claudia Wannamaker ’ starts blooming at a immature age , produce huge , perfumed flush that reach up to 10 inches in diam .
The flowers endure on the trees for workweek and weeks .
It ’s not quite as cold-blooded hardy as some other southerly cultivar and should be grown in Zone 7b and up . The leaf are smaller than the specie .
This cultivar was cover by Johnny Brailsford of Orangeburg , Vice President of Shady Grove Plantation and Nursery in South Carolina .
‘ Claudia Wannamaker ’ is a fast grower , add about 36 inches in height per twelvemonth . in the end , she remain a achievable 40 feet tall with a pear-shaped canopy that reaches about 25 feet wide .
produce to about 50 infantry tall , M. grandiflora‘Coco ’ has a dense habit and a beautiful cone-shaped shape that reaches about 20 animal foot wide .
Sadly , it ’s not quite as sturdy as some others on this tilt and can only make it in Zones 7 and up . But if you live in the correct clime , it ’s a stellar option . It will even flower in fond shade .
Do n’t disconcert this cultivar with the coconut magnolia ( M. coco ) , a specie endemic to Florida .
Delightful ‘ D.D. Blanchard ’ is no shrinking violet . This statuesque southerly magnolia beauty matures at over 80 feet marvelous and 40 feet wide , with a inviolable fundamental leader and a triangular shape .
The leaves are proportionally with child than those of the species , with a deep fleeceable hue . The glorious flowers are about eight inches in diam .
‘ D.D. Blanchard ’
It was wreak to mart by Red Robbins of Robbins Nursery in Willard , North Carolina . apply it as a focal point or a tall screen . you may find itat Nature Hills Nursery .
This cultivar has made a name for itself ever since Edith Bogue found a seedling in a Florida nursery in 1917 .
Ms. Bogue was an amateur agriculturist , as well as a well-thought-of equestrian and violinist , in New Jersey who educate the seedling and elaborate its breeding to produce the magnificent plant life we know today .
She share cuttings and the plant became well - known and well - lie with .
‘ Edith Bogue ’ is anM. grandifloracultivar that grows up to 60 feet tall and 30 feet wide with immense , foot - wide flowers .
‘ Edith Bogue ’
Even better , it ’s winter dauntless and thrives in Zone 6 winters where many southern magnolias stutter or suffer wintertime damage .
you’re able to find ‘ Edith Bogue ’ in a variety of sizesavailable at Fast Growing Trees .
Yes , ‘ Green Giant ’ is large , but what I really love about it besides the grand size , is that the immature leaves are a glossy golden color with green undersides .
Speckled in amongst the older glossy mid - greenish leaves with matte , bronze undersides , they provide a striking appearance .
The color sets it apart from otherM. grandifloratypes , but the one - pes - spacious blossoms are what you expect from a southern magnolia .
The large red seed cones add an exciting constituent of interest group beyond the vast summer blossoms .
‘ Green Giant ’
It has an upright shape with an ultimate height of 60 feet and a breadth of 30 feet .
you could find ‘ Green Giant’available at Nature Hills Nursery .
government note ™ ( M. grandiflora‘MGTIG ’ ) is appoint for the all - green leafage as this cultivar does n’t have the typical bronze - brown hair on the undersides of the leaf .
These green leaves are much smaller than those of the species . Greenback ™ has an passing dumb , pyramidical form and grows up to 35 base tall and about 20 feet wide , though it can stay much smaller depending on the environment .
The big , highly fragrant flowers are about eight inches in diameter .
Need a minute selection to utilize as a sieve or towering specimen?M. grandiflora‘Hasse ’ should be top of your leaning .
The minute , upright form reaches just 35 foot marvellous and 10 feet wide . ‘ Hasse ’ also give an exceptional option for espalier .
The turgid , leathery leave have lovely Cinnamomum zeylanicum - colourize bottom that create a strong line and adds texture .
The dark green and bronze chromaticity is accented by foundation - wide flower starting in late spring and endure through mid - summertime .
On the downside , the root system of rules tends to be robust and shallow , so it is n’t the good pick for next to sidewalks or driveways .
But give it a nice garden or lawn to spread out in and you ’ll delight a loom treat .
‘ Henry Hicks ’ might be aM. virginianacultivar , but it ’s not about to shed its leaf in the cold .
This cultivar will rest evergreen all the way down to Zone 5b .
The off-white - gray underside of the leaves flash and terpsichore in the breeze , and when it ’s in bloom , you ’ll have trouble looking away !
The flowers can persist all summer long and are to a great extent fragrant . The Tree are narrow-minded , develop up to 50 feet grandiloquent and 25 fundament wide .
If you inquire any magnolia expert or hobbyist to name one of the best evergreen magnolias , M. grandiflora‘Kay Parris ’ is go to be on the inclination .
‘ Kay Parris ’ was put in by Gilbert Nurseries after Kevin Parris found an aggregate of follicles – that is , the colorful strobilus of aril or seeds – among a batch of ‘ Little Gem ’ cuttings he was working with in 1991 .
He told himself that if any of the seedling were assure , he ’d name them after his female parent , who had recently passed away .
And one seedling did indeed turn out to be promising . It had wavy , narrow leaves , flower unseasoned , and had a pleasing increase form .
He believes the seedling that ultimately became ‘ Kay Parris ’ was a cross between ‘ Little Gem ’ and ‘ Bracken ’s Brown Beauty . ’
It became extremely popular in South Carolina by 2000 , and rapidly spread out from there .
Today , this cultivar is celebrated for its blossom that last all summer , its drought tolerance , the likeable wavy margins of the leaves , and the velvety undersides that just necessitate to be partake .
‘ Kay Parris ’
‘ Kay Parris ’ has a dense growth drug abuse and matures quickly to a peak of 30 feet and a 15 - animal foot spread .
It ’s even winter hardy enough to pull round down to Zone 6 . you may detect ‘ Kay Parris’available at Nature Hills Nursery .
‘ Little Gem ’ is a hugely popularM. grandifloracultivar . It has captured hearts and a position in many gardens across the orb thanks to its thickset , minute form and glossy dark green foliage .
The farewell are a bit small than those of the mintage , with matte , faintly bronze or green undersides .
We have gardener Warren Steed to give thanks for this gem . He breed it in Candor , North Carolina from a luck seedling in 1952 and free it to securities industry in 1966 .
If you ’re concerned in southerly magnolia , but you do n’t have the space they typically demand , this is a perfect pick because it only grow to 25 fundament tall and 15 understructure all-inclusive at most , often stay much lowly .
Plus , it takes a retentive clock time to get there , attain its full size after 20 years or more .
‘ slight Gem ’
you could take aim it as espalier , let it take front and center in the garden , or plant a few as a tall border . Those neighbour with the vile pace ? Block ‘ em out !
soda pop overto Fast Growing Treesto snag yourself a ‘ Little Gem ’ tree diagram in a variety of sizes .
The leafage ofM. grandiflora‘Majestic Beauty ’ survive up to their name .
They ’re dark green , excess glossy , and grow up to nine inch long , practically overshadow the eight - inch creamy white-hot flowers .
‘ Majestic Beauty ’ does n’t like hot climates and does best in Zones 7 to 9 , where it will grow to about 40 feet tall and 20 feet wide , with a symmetric oval or pyramidal condition .
cut up the lower limbs to employ it as a street tree , or permit it take center level in a tumid garden .
Quick growingM. grandiflora‘Margaret Davis ’ has some mammoth blossoms , which is enounce a lot for a specie that is already known for its big flowers .
They can be a foot wide or even a little braggy . And when I say quick growing , that ’s not an exaggeration . This is one of the fastest growing evergreen magnolia useable .
Introduced by Shady Grove Nursery of Orangeburg , South Carolina in 1988 , it has a cone-shaped ontogenesis use that maxes out at about 30 foot grandiloquent and 20 feet encompassing at the widest point , making it ideal for smaller gardens or for set along street .
Bred by Cherrylake , a landscape party in Groveland , Florida , M. grandiflora‘Miss Chloe ’ was breed to have evenly - space limb that attach to the primal leader at a 45 point angle , dedicate the tree a picture - perfect conical shape .
It has a full , dense drug abuse and rapidly accomplish about 80 feet marvelous , which is much taller than most cultivars and almost as tall as the specie . It also reaches about 35 infantry wide .
The blossoms are Brobdingnagian , up to a metrical foot in diameter with pink stamens that contrast beautifully with the white .
Most southerly magnolias have Bourgogne stamens .
Moonglow ® is a sweetbay magnolia ( M. virginiana ) that is also sell under the name ‘ Jim Wilson . ’ While it grow happily in Zones 5 to 10 , it ’s only dependably evergreen in Zones 7 and up .
For those in the right Zones , the 35 - foot - marvellous tree diagram with a 20 - animal foot cattle farm will show off year - bout with its fat , green leaf with silver undersides .
In the late spring , creamy blanched flowers with their sweet , lemony fragrance pop up and remain through summer .
Moonglow
If you ’re ready to bask in the gleam of this evergreen beauty , you’re able to see plantsavailable at Nature Hills Nursery .
This elegant lady is much tougher than she looks .
M. virginiana‘Northern Belle ’ will remain evergreen all the way down to Zone 5 or even in Zone 4 if implant on the south side of a brick , Mrs. Henry Wood , or concrete wall .
But she ’s just as happy in red-hot , humid climates like you find in the American south .
‘ Northern Belle ’ start bloom in early summertime and observe going until nightfall . She grows quickly , reaching about 30 metrical unit tall and 20 feet broad when mature , with a minute or ellipse habit .
WhileM. macrophyllacan outlast down to Zone 5 , ‘ Palmberg ’ will only stay evergreen to Zone 7 .
Given the right mood , this cultivar is a glorious option that grows to about 40 feet magniloquent and 25 base all-embracing with flowers that are larger than the mintage – quantify up to 12 column inch across .
Combined with the characteristically massive leaves , this bigleaf magnolia cultivar make an outsize command .
With a minute canopy on a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree that reaches up to 50 feet tall , M. grandiflora‘Russet ’ score a grand statement in the landscape .
In the correct conditions and with enough blank , it can pass on up to 80 invertebrate foot marvellous , but generally stays just 20 pes or so all-embracing .
It ’s known for blooming young and for the deep russet of the dim indumentum on the undersides of the narrow leaves .
The white , lemon - scent blossom grow to about eight inches in diameter .
Maunsell van Rensellaer , film director of the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and the Saratoga Horticultural Foundation in Santa Cruz , California , selected this southerly magnolia in 1952 and it was stabilise and released by the Saratoga Horticultural Research Foundation in 1966 .
‘ Samuel Sommer ’ is a medium - sized southern magnolia cultivar that originate to about 40 feet tall and 30 base at the widest point . It has an oval to vase - like shape .
The abundant flowers can be up to 12 inches in diameter .
Though ‘ Samuel Sommer ’ is n’t cold hardy enough to survive down to Zone 6 like some other southern cultivars , it ’s reasonably darn bad in Zones 7 and up .
It was select by the director of the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and Saratoga Horticultural Foundation in Santa Cruz , California , Maunsell van Rensselaer .
Sweet Thing ® ( M. virginianavar.australis‘Perry Paige ’ ) is a knotty , adaptable sweetbay magnolia cultivar that is evergreen down to Zone 5 .
George Dodson of Sleepy Hollow Nursery in McMinnville , Tennessee , and Fernando Boyd of Boyd Nursery Company in Morrison , Tennessee cover this peach and registered it on April 15 , 2004 .
Dodson hit across a seedling growing at his nursery that seemed to be extremely thick . At maturity , it only get to about 20 feet tall and 10 feet extensive .
It demonstrates superior plague and disease resistivity to the mintage industrial plant .
This sweet southern cultivar is sometimes called ‘ Southern Charm , ’ and trance it certainly is . The Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree only develop to about 20 feet tall and 12 feet wide , with a dense habit .
‘ Teddy Bear ’ makes an adorable accent or specimen magnolia for a small space . It can even be grown in a container on the terrace .
In spite of its diminutive size of it , the blossom are n’t proportionally belittled . The creamy heyday turn up to eight inches in diameter .
Bring home a hot plant in a seven - gallon containerfrom Home Depot .
M. grandiflora‘Timeless Beauty ’ features bass green and bronze foliage , above which are scores and wads of blossoms that remain on the plant from recent bound until fall .
The foliage is fine than that of the species , with a more narrow chassis .
At maturity , it will be about 20 feet tall and 25 feet wide , with a compact , fill out vase form , making ‘ Timeless Beauty ’ a lovely tint option for a small garden down to Zone 6 .
Make Winter Exciting
The large leaves of an evergreen plant magnolia dusted in nose candy certainly enliven up the winter landscape painting .
When everything else in the garden is stark , any one of these tree diagram will unfeignedly endure out . And then you ’ve catch the efflorescence to look ahead to , heralding the comer of springtime !
And for more entropy aboutgrowing magnolia in your landscape , add these guide to your reading list next :
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About
Kristine Lofgren
