Since this article was originally posted almost a year ago, I have added a few more magnolia cultivars, experienced a couple losses (this usually happens the first summer and is frequently my fault as I sometimes forget to water the new additions to the gardens), and Toro bloomed... wow, it is very impressive! L
The topic of magnolias can get pretty complicated in a hurry! There are about 125 species of magnolias if you count both the deciduous and evergreen, and innumerable crosses and varieties, with more being developed each year. A certain amount of awareness of the species that show up in parentage, helps in choosing magnolias that do well in this climate.
I remember discussing magnolias with a dear gardening friend some 35 years ago. (I imagine that you start to pick up on the fact that I’ve had a great number of gardening mentors through the years!) Her comment was “good luck”! I eventually decided to ignore that comment; afterall, I was really impressed with magnolias I had seen in various areas of the country… (this was not one of those areas). I proceeded to purchase a six foot saucer magnolia, specific variety unknown. It was not cheap, even when you divide its cost by the three seasons that it survived. There was actually one year when it had many beautiful blossoms, so I was very disappointed when it met its demise. After this loss, I proceeded to take my usual lengthy hiatus from the focus of my disappointment. Given a few years to get past my grieving, I decided to try magnolias again.
I started to look around the area and noticed that the village where I worked had a yard with one very old magnolia of the species stellata. This was the star magnolia of Japan, hardy to zone 5, and a mass of bloom for a week or two in spring depending on the weather. It made good sense to start here, and with a bit of investigation, I discovered that the variety royal star was often listed to zone 3. Both royal star and stellata have served me well for a great many years. This past spring I limbed my largest specimen up because of losing the plant next to it. I found that the lowest branches had ground layered (put out roots) and I had about thirty-five new plants to share with friends. You can do this technique on purpose as well. Simply wound a branch, pin it to the ground, cover it with some sand, followed by a large brick or rock. In a year you may have a new tree to plant elsewhere.
The lost plant referred to in the previous paragragh was a loebner magnolia called Leonard Messel; the pink blooms in this photo. Leonard is a pretty hardy sort, so why did he die… my suspicion is that his sap started running during a couple very warm days in late winter (he was in full sun), and sudden cold then caused the sap to freeze in a manner that destroyed him. Cut back to the ground, he would have grown back, but I look at this sort of a demise as an opportunity to try something new. This sort of turn of weather events can damage all sorts of plants, particularly those that are on the edge of zone hardiness.
As noted, Leonard was of the loebneri clan. I planted a number of varieties of that persuasion, ordering 2’ plants from Carroll Nursery on the east coast. I was learning that if you can get plants through a couple winters with some protection, they often will stand on their own thereafter. Along with Leonard Messel, I planted a ballerina and a Dr. Merrill, also loebners. By the way, loebners are crosses between the Japanese stellata and the zone 4 hardy kobus, also from Japan. Stellatas bloom young, whereas kobus can take up to 30 years to bloom. I would recommend loebners for east central Wisconsin… they bloom young and they grow fast. I am particularly pleased with another variety called spring snow. Its blooms have 12 tepals (petals) in a lovely white with a soft pink toned center, and it’s fragrance is marvelous. It is the plant at the front of the previous picture. In only a few years the plants have gotten to a height and width of 12-15 feet, with an anticipated mature size of 30 feet.
Alas, there is a sad story to report on my loebneri ballerina. The tree was starting to put on some size, when I decided I had to remove a large spruce that had become a victim of disease. With my trusty ten year old, youngest son, I got out the chain saw and we went to work. Unfortunately the tree did not fall in the direction I had planned. From somewhere behind the fallen branches, I heard that child’s voice of concern… “Hey Dad… you just wiped out your precious Mongolia”!
From that humble beginning, my collection has progressed to 60 trees at last count. Some are getting reasonably mature, others are still whips installed in the last couple years. Of the 60 trees, I have about 40 varieties. I have learned a few things over the years and will share them here.
1. magnolias put out new roots in spring so it is wise to plant them in spring.
2. add some peat moss to the large hole that you prepare… they like some acidity in the soil.
3. mulch well and never dig in the soil around magnolias- they have thick fleshy roots that are easily damaged… put your impatiens somewhere else!!
4. try to pick a location with winter shade if at all possible. Otherwise an east location is very good and a north location is also good. If you are wondering why I would put a plant of questionable hardiness in the coldest location, it’s because it will stay dormant longer in the spring, and will avoid those “false starts” that so often occur in the Midwest and probably killed my buddy ‘Leonard’.
5. wrap the trees in fall… rabbits love them. I have considerable damage this winter to 12’ trees that I thought were certainly too large for the rabbits to mess with… speaking of rabbits… they have no sense of decency. I sleep next to an 8’ patio door and just last night at midnight, who do I see peering in at me… you guessed it, the illustrious Peter himself!
6. and a final thought… one reason that a properly chosen magnolia variety does fairly well in east central Wisconsin, has to do with the level of moisture in the air during the winter. I would presume that Lake Michigan has a hand in this, and it is good for magnolias.
A few years ago, we decided to head south looking for flowering trees, particularly magnolias. We headed to Nashville and then east to Ashville, North Carolina. Everywhere we went, we saw magnolia blooms that were turned to brown mush because of late freezes. The buds of Asiatic, precocious magnolias start to swell at the first sign of spring warmth. I spoke with a gentleman in Tennessee during this trip, and he said they were lucky to have good bloom one year out of five. We returned home to our own magnolias which bloomed with no damage. In fact, I seldom have damage to the blossoms… yes, Wisconsin is a good place to raise your magnolia family!
I am lucky to know one of the top amateur magnolia hybridizers in the world, and he lives seventy miles from here. His hybrids are becoming available at several top nurseries in the country. His program has two goals in particular… zone 4 hardiness and 4-6 weeks of bloom. With the extended bloom period, you may not have the “really big shew” as Ed Sullivan would have described it, but if some blooms get hit by frost, there are plenty more in the works.
You might wonder why a gardener such as myself would find the end of the season, when all the deciduous foliage has fallen, to be one of the most exciting times of the year! Well... that's when one gets to see just how many buds each magnolia has created for the following spring. This is one of the 'promises' that makes winter in Wisconsin just a little easier to bear!
Few magnolias are more beautiful than the saucers (soulangianas), but these must be chosen with care in zone 4-5 and carefully sited. The one pictured here is brozzonii and is perhaps one of the hardiest. I discovered it when looking through a listing of plants grown on a very cold island in the Atlantic, by the University of Maine at Orano. I figured that if brozzonii could survive there, it should survive in central Wisconsin. Other soulangianas that I'm babying along are Rustica Rubra, Picture, Burgundy, and Verbanica. The latter is a beautiful shade of pink, but definitely questionable in my yard, although it is starting to attain some size. I don't have high hopes for Picture or Burgundy. Soulangiana Alexandrina however, is doing very well for me.
‘The little girl’ hybrids are eight magnolias taken from a 1955 cross, and were formally named in 1965 by the National Arboretum in Washington. Of the eight; I grow Ann, Susan, Betty (pictured on the left), and Pinkie (on the right and below)… the latter being my favorite of the group. All have shown good hardiness here. Judy is considered a very hardy magnolia from this group.
There are a great number of yellow magnolias and they show good hardiness due to parentage that includes the native ‘cucumber tree’. One of the best known is Elizabeth, hybridized in 1955 by the New York Botanic Garden (pictured above). I also grow Butterflies (just below, it tends to bloom when there is a frost “scheduled” and it will turn brown if touched by the cold), Yellow Fever (below butterflies, huge cream colored blossoms and fast growing), Yellow Lantern (named after the hanging lamp in front of the hybridizer’s favorite tavern), and Yellow Bird (blooms over a long period after the foliage has emerged).
A particular early blooming favorite of mine is Wada’s Memory. The tree is strongly pyramidal and eventually reaches 40’ with thousands of pristine white blooms. I have two that are approaching 25’ and are a glory to behold in early spring.
I have a number of young newer hybrids whose bloom I anxiously await. They include Pink Surprise, Blushing Belle, Coral Lake, Rose Marie, White Rose, Red Baron, Roseann, Torro, Sunset Swirl, Golden rain (a yellow with bouquets of downward facing blooms), Flamingo, Angelica, and Pink Perfection. While a few of these have bloomed sporadically, Simple Pleasures put on a nice first time performance last year. It was a clean pink that started blooming right after the early magnolias, and continued for some time. This promises to be a real beauty eventually!
In conclusion, I have to mention Daybreak. I moved this one years ago after almost losing it. Based on the experience of others and myself, I would say this is especially touchy in regards to where it is placed. I suspect some protection from the winter sun is a must. With blooms approaching 10” in diameter, a fragrance to die for, and a color in the hot pink domain… what more could you ask for! ‘till next time, Larry
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