For sheer spectacle, there are few shrubs or small trees to beat the full-bodied, exotic nature of magnolias, says Graham Clarke
I’ve been a fan of magnolias for pretty much all my adult life. They have arguably the largest flowers and largest individual leaves of any trees and shrubs hardy to the UK. If you want something to fill a corner of the garden with colour, in most spectacular fashion, then magnolias are a perfect choice.
However, you will have to choose carefully if your garden is very small, as many magnolias grow large. And if the spot you have in mind is in shade, then you’d be better off going for a rhododendron or camellia. Magnolias are not for everyone, but if you have the space and the right conditions, they are not difficult to care for, and even one tree in full glory will turn the heads of visitors, neighbours and passersby for many years to come.
Some of the most commonly seen are the cultivars of the saucer magnolia (Magnolia × soulangeana). Their large, waxy, goblet-shaped white, cream, pink or wine-coloured flowers smother the branches in mid-spring.
These trees spread and grow large (by today’s small-garden standards), and they often have several trunks coming from ground level. Sadly, their shape and flowering ability are often ruined by careless pruning in order to restrict their size.
There are many cultivars to choose from, including:
‘Satisfaction’ (deep pink petals fading to cream, and with a faint scent); ‘Alba Superba’ (one of the earliest to flower, with pure white, waxy blooms); ‘Lennei’ (large, goblet-shaped flowers that are rosy-purple outside, white within; can sometimes produce a second flush of blooms in the autumn), and ‘Rustica Rubra’ (vigorous, often regarded as the best variety, with cupshaped, rich rosy-red blooms).
Largest flowers
‘Brozzonii’ produces elongated white flowers shaded purple at the base; they are the largest flowers from any of the M. × soulangeana tribe, and they are some of the latest to appear as well. These particular magnolias dislike chalky soils, but they will tolerate clay. Magnolias in general prefer a neutral to acid soil, but as always there are a few exceptions -M. × loebneri and its cultivars, for example, which grow well in any soil, including chalk.
The most frequently seen type of all is the star magnolia (M. stellata). A slow-growing shrub, originally from Japan, it forms a compact, broad shrub, eventually reaching 10ft (3m) or so in height. The winter buds on the bare branches are grey and hairy, and they’re an attraction in their own right. Look for ‘Royal Star’ - for my money this is the best, with pale pink buds opening in early spring to bright white. The sweetly scented flowers, which come in profusion
