Friday, March 18, 2011

One of My Favorite Spring Trees

This is probably one of my favorite trees!
If not my favorite tree, at least my favorite species...
This is my Magnolia stellata.

Magnolia stellata or commonly known as the Star Magnolia.

There are over 500 varies of Magnolia, most being native to Asia.  The oldest found seed to be sprouted and grown was a variety of Magnolia that was over 100 million years old!

The variety and beauty of this species fascinates me...

Star Magnolia are known for their star-like blooms in early spring.

The Star Magnolia is a great small shrub tree that doesn't get much higher than 10 to 20 feet.  It has an almost oval shape and needs very little pruning.  If you must prune, do so after blooming.

They like deep, organic soils and may need a little protection from late winter frost.  Putting thick organic mulch in early fall and early spring will help to keep the Star Magnolia healthy and happy.

The most attractive feature of the Magnolia stellata is its blooms!  The blooms are a milky white color in the shape of a star with 10 to 12 thin linear petals attached at the center of the bloom.  It will start blooming as young as one or two years old.

But what makes them truly spectacular is that the Star magnolia blooms in the late winter early spring, usually with the daffodils and before it puts on leaves.  It can be breath-taking to see a grown tree in full bloom in the early spring just before anything else is putting on leaves!  It is a sweet little tree that truly shines in any landscape!

Even though the buds have some purple, the bloom opens up to a pure, creamy white.


Let me know if you have a favorite tree, shrub, or flower that you would like me to do a feature on!

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4 comments:

  1. That is so pretty. I really love Bradford Pear trees. I think they are beautiful and also bloom before everything else. They always tell me spring is right around the corner. There are a lot of driveways lined with them here where I live and they look amazing.

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  2. there are not a lot of trees in bloom yet, here in Ireland, but one that really does signal the beginning of spring is the bright yellow blooms of the forsythia bush. it is very cheering to see it in the hedgerows, as you know the spring days will be getting warmer.

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  3. What a beautiful tree. Some of our trees are blooming, which is our first signs of spring. We have had great weather all weekend so we have been busy cleaning out flower beds.
    Blessings!

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