What’s not to love about Magnolia Trees?
First of all, if you have never experienced the intoxicating fragrance of a Magnolia bloom you are missing out. It is pure bliss. Aside from that, they are nice full evergreen trees. All have green glossy leaves with brown backs. Plant in a line as a border fence or as a single tree, either way you can’t go wrong.
Magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora, trees are beautiful elegant evergreen trees that are either columnar or conical depending on the one you plant. They can reach up to 30- 40 feet here in the Austin, Texas area depending on the variety. There are smaller varieties such as the ‘Teddy Bear’ Magnolia and the ‘Little Gem’ that are more compact and around 12-15 feet.
The best part is they all have the fabulous blooms.
Oh the blooms. The blooms of a Magnolia are large flat thick white petals with a conical fruit in the center that exudes the most elegant fragrance. The bees flock to the blooms as do people!! As the blooms begin to fade, they drop their stamen which look like little matchsticks. Be careful not to touch the bloom as it causes them to turn brown.
Depending on your application and landscape design, you can plant them in a row to create a solid screening fence or plant as a singular specimen in your yard or landscape. They are wonderful screening options if you want a more formal elegant glossy leaf look. If you were here for Snowmageddon in Austin, you might have noticed that they were one of the few things that sailed through basically unfazed.
There are several varieties that do well in the Austin and Dripping Springs area. Keep in mind, all will need regular water and quality landscape soil with proper drainage. They can tolerate the full sun and thrive in partial sun as well. If you prefer the larger trees, the ‘Claudia Wannamaker’ and the ‘Bracken’s Brown’ are excellent options. The latter reaching a little taller.
