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| Magnolia x soulangiana
Saucer magnoliaCulture: This species prefers moist, acid to neutral, well drained soils in full sun. It is transplant balled and burlapped due to a thick fleshy coarse root system with few lateral roots. Despite this, small trees are fairly easy to establish. Once established it is adaptable and easy to grow. Select a site protected from sweeping winds to limit damage to the flowers. A 3-sided courtyard with a western exposure on the University of Illinois campus is filled with the beauty and fragrance of the heavy flower displays nearly every spring. Siting the plant with an eastern or northern exposure will slow the flower emergence nearly a week, often resulting in less frost damage. The heavy displays of flowers also makes for a fairly messy petal drop at the conclusion of flowering. Although a number of diseases and insects are possible, only rarely are they serious. As a result, most people have little trouble with their plants. Plants in excess of 70 years may begin to show wood decay problems. Woodpeckers often leave rows of small holes on the trunks but the injury is negligible. Prolong early season warm spells not only force open early displays of flowers but also activates early plant growth, especially in southern areas. This early growth activation can result in extensive plant damage when cold weather returns. I have observed mature trees at Bernheim Forest (Clermont, Kentucky) killed back to 4-5" diameter trunks. Usage: This species makes beautiful specimens, either alone or very nicely in masses of a few trees. They are particularly effective in courtyards and adjacent to patios. |
