Southern Magnolia

Southern magnolia is a moderate-growing evergreen tree reaching 60 to 100 feet tall with a pyramidal to rounded crown and typically a single dominant stem. You recognize it by its large, simple, broadly ovate leathery leaves (4 to 10 inches long) that are glossy dark green above and often covered with cinnamon-brown or yellow-brown felt-like pubescence on the underside. The flowers are enormous, 8 to 12 inches across, creamy-white, perfect, and extremely fragrant, usually with six petals; they appear in late spring through summer. The fruits are rose-red aggregates of follicles that ripen in fall. Native to bottomland forests and moist wooded areas from North Carolina to central Florida and east Texas.

Southern magnolia performs best in moist, organically rich, well-drained loams in sun to part shade, preferring partial shade; it is intolerant of both drought and waterlogging extremes and may decline in heavy clay soils despite adequate moisture. The dense evergreen canopy prevents understory growth, necessitating mulch to manage erosion. Blooms on old wood, so prune immediately after flowering through early summer. Watch for bacterial blight, leaf spot, powdery mildew, root rots, and verticillium wilt in the PNW. Cultivars like 'Little Gem' and 'Victoria' offer smaller stature and hardier winter performance. In the PNW, site in protected locations; 'Edith Bogue' is considered among the hardiest cultivars for zone 8b landscapes.