Magnolia is an amazing plant that has survived even the era of dinosaurs. But even now, the culture continues to please the eye with its magnificent colors. Susan magnolia is popular all over the world for its incredibly beautiful blooms.

Magnolia Susan is a tree whose height reaches from 2.5 to 6.5 m. The shape of the tree is pyramidal, as it grows, it acquires rounded outlines. The foliage is a rich green hue, the leaves are large, thick and glossy.

Inflorescences grow upwards, blooming flowers are large, goblet-shaped. The diameter of the flower reaches about 15 cm. The inflorescence has six petals of a light pink hue. Blooming inflorescences are very fragrant. The flowering period begins in April and ends in June. The life expectancy of a tree is about 50 years. The variety was obtained by crossing lily-colored magnolia and stellate magnolia.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The advantages of the Magnolia Suzanne variety include:

• large and beautiful flowers;
• tree lifespan;
• fragrance of flowers;
• unpretentiousness in cultivation and care.

The disadvantages include the fact that you can grow magnolia only in the south. The tree belongs to heat-loving crops and does not survive the frosty winters that occur in most regions.

Growing a plant

Growing magnolia is a pleasure. If you provide the plant with favorable growth conditions, then you can enjoy beautiful and fragrant flowers for a long time.

What should be the soil?

Magnolia does not like calcareous soil, so you will have to add peat to the soil if the site has such a substrate. Also, the tree is not recommended to be planted on a sandy type of soil. Sandy loamy fertile soil or black soil is suitable for planting.

What should you pay attention to when landing?

It is recommended to plant the plant in areas protected from strong winds. It is best to plant a seedling in a sunny area, which will regularly receive a shadow during the day. Before planting, it is undesirable to waterlog the soil. It is not recommended to plant a seedling in the spring. You can take a chance, but sudden spring frosts can kill the plant.

The most favorable period for planting is October. At this time, the magnolia begins a hibernation period, and the seedling tolerates planting more easily. The winter hardiness of the variety is low, therefore, after planting, before the onset of cold weather, the seedling should be covered.

Landing technology

Planting Magnolia Susana:

• dig up the soil and mix it with wood ash;
• dig a hole to a depth of 70 cm;
• put the seedling in the hole and bury;
• compact the soil near the trunk.

At the end of planting, water the seedling abundantly with warm water. During planting, it is undesirable to deepen the root collar. It should be at least 2 cm above ground level. After watering, the seedling is mulched with peat.

Further care of the culture

Plant care is not difficult. The main thing is not to forget about watering the tree and applying mineral fertilizers and organics. It is also important to think about sheltering the tree before the onset of winter.

Proper watering

A feature of magnolia watering is that within 3 years after planting a seedling, it must be watered so that the soil is always wet and does not dry out. But at the same time, waterlogging of the soil should also not be allowed.

When the tree grows up, you can water it several times a month. The larger the tree, the more water it needs. For irrigation, take water heated in the sun.

Before watering, you can loosen the soil, but this must be done carefully. The root system of a tree grows in such a way that all the roots are closer to the soil surface. In order not to damage the roots, the soil is loosened with a pitchfork.

What to fertilize and feed

In the first two years after planting a seedling, fertilizers are not required for it (provided that enough top dressing was applied to the soil during planting). In the third year of growth, the substrate on which the tree grows is depleted, and fertilization is inevitable.

Suitable ready-made mineral complexes for flower shrubs. You can also make your own food. For its preparation, urea and saltpeter are diluted in water (in a ratio of 20:15 g). The resulting solution is poured over the soil next to the plant.

plant pruning

As a rule, formative pruning of magnolia bushes is not required. In autumn, after the tree has faded, flower stalks and dry branches are cut off. Places of cuts are smeared with garden pitch so that the plant does not get sick. For trimming, a sharpened sector is used so that there are no creases at the cut points.

Wintering

Magnolia belongs to heat-loving plants, and frosty winters are detrimental to a tree. Before the onset of cold weather, the lower part of the trunk is wrapped with a warm cloth. And the soil near the trunk is covered with spruce branches.

Diseases and pests

The most common insects on magnolia are aphids, spider mites, and worms. You can get rid of these insects on the plant by spraying with acaricides.

Another problem that has to be faced is rodents. If traces of mice appear on the bark, they are treated with a solution of "Fundazol". And when the soil freezes, it is mulched. So the mice will not be able to get to the roots and trunk.

Sometimes yellow spots may appear on the foliage - chlorosis. This problem arises due to the high lime content in the soil. To solve this problem, you need to add peat, soil from a coniferous forest to the soil, or water the earth with a special preparation that increases acidity.

Breeding methods

There are several ways to reproduce Magnolia Susan:

• cuttings;
• seeds;
• layering.

If the plant is propagated by seed, then the material is planted immediately after harvest. Magnolia planting material is very poorly stored. The seed coat is very hard, so before planting, the side walls are cut off with sandpaper or simply pierced with a needle.

The surface of the planting material is covered with a thin oily layer, therefore, before planting, it is carefully washed off with warm water and soap. Then rinse in clean water.

Prepared seeds are planted in the ground to a depth of 3 cm. Magnolia boxes are removed to the basement. In March, they are taken out and placed on the windowsill, on the sunny side. For a year at home, the seedlings will grow by about 50 cm. Only after that, the seedlings are transplanted into open ground.

When grown by cuttings, cuttings are cut at the end of June, when the tree fades. They are cut so that 3 full-fledged leaves remain on top. The lower part of the cutting is placed in a solution that activates growth. After that, the branches are planted in a mixture of peat and soil.

Cover the boxes with cuttings and put in a warm place. The temperature at which roots appear on them is from +19 to + 21 degrees. After about 9 weeks, roots should appear. And in October, the cuttings are planted in the ground.

Another method of reproduction is layering. The lower branches in the spring are bent to the soil and buried. The thread needs to be secured with something. By autumn, layering will give roots. After a few years, they can be separated from the mother plant and transplanted.

Potential Growing Problems

Problems in Growing Magnolia Suzanne:

• Low acidity of the soil. Culture prefers to grow on the ground with high level acidity.
• With an excess nutrients in the soil, the foliage becomes covered with yellow spots and dries up. You can solve this problem by watering the plant abundantly once a week.
• It is not recommended to apply nitrogen in large quantities to the soil. This will increase the risk of freezing roots in winter.
• The soil must not be allowed to dry out. This can lead to the appearance of spider mites on the tree.

Growing magnolia is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. The main thing is to follow all the recommendations for care, and then the tree will delight with its fragrant flowers for many years, because magnolia has been growing for almost half a century.

Application in landscape design

Susan's hybrid magnolia variety is very popular in landscape design, especially often the variety is used to decorate embankments in seaside resorts. The tree looks great in an urban environment. When the magnolia enters its flowering period, it is impossible to look away from the tree.

Magnolia "Suzan"

In 1955-1956, several varieties of beautiful magnolia were grown in the USA by crossing lily magnolia (m.liliflora) and star magnolia (m.stellata). The result is medium to tall plants that bloom later than regular spring magnolias and therefore avoid the frequent late spring frosts that destroy buds and flowers. All these hybrids received girlish names as names and differ in the shape and color of the flowers.

Magnolia 'Susan' flowers are lily-shaped or slender tulip-shaped, deep pink to red on the outside and light on the inside, and rarely open at the end of flowering, such as the Betty variety. This is the most colorful spring magnolia. Blooms at the ends of last year's shoots, very abundant, even if the plant is still young.

Even after flowering, the magnolia remains very attractive due to its dense foliage, which retains a rich color in summer. green color. We do not recommend pruning, but if there is a need to form a young plant, then pruning should be done in the spring, immediately after flowering.

Deciduous magnolias require moist, moderately acidic or neutral soil and planting in full sun or partial shade. They have shallow roots that collect nutrients mainly from the topsoil, so you need to pay attention when planting to powder quality peat over magnolia roots, possibly with the addition of soluble long-acting fertilizers. Magnolia should not be planted too deep - this can kill the plant. For landing, choose a place where you will not dig or dig anything within a radius of 2 meters from the magnolia - this beauty is quite selfish and does not like to be disturbed by her roots, which she spreads widely around her. The plant is completely cold hardy. Due to the large flowers and leaves, we advise you to plant it in a place protected from the wind and mulch the roots so that it does not lose moisture at any time of the year.

Frost-resistant from -27 to -29 ° C.

Magnolia (lat. Magnolia)- a genus of flowering plants of the Magnolia family, which includes more than 200 species. The first magnolias came to Europe in 1688, and the name of the genus was given in 1703 by Charles Plumier in honor of the botanist Pierre Magnol. Members of the genus grow in tropical and subtropical climates. East Asia and North America. Magnolia - ancient flowering plant the era of dinosaurs, which spread in the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods. Archaeologists have discovered a fossilized magnolia flower that is 95,000,000 years old. And by how easily magnolia today adapts to a climate that can hardly be called warm, it becomes clear how it has been able to survive for so many centuries. In those days when there were no bees yet, magnolias were pollinated by beetles - they have retained this ability to this day.

There is a beautiful and sad legend about magnolia: a Japanese girl named Keiko made a living by creating paper flowers that were beautiful, but, alas, cost a penny. One day, a parrot, whom she fed from time to time, revealed to her a secret: paper flowers can be revived if they are irrigated with a drop of their blood. However, in no case should this drop be the last. Using this secret, the girl became rich, but her greedy lover forced her to work more and more so that he could live in idleness and luxury. One day, Keiko gave her last drop of blood to a paper flower and died... The flower animated by this drop was called magnolia. Since then, the magnolia flower has symbolized the nobility and generosity of the soul.

Planting and caring for magnolia (in brief)

• Bloom: early spring, some species - early summer.
• Landing: mid to late October or April.
• Lighting: bright sunlight, partial shade is possible for several hours.
• The soil: light, moderately moist, rich in organic matter, slightly acidic or neutral reaction.
• Watering: regular, even permanent: the soil under the magnolia should be slightly damp all the time. Regular watering is especially important for seedlings under the age of three years.
• Top dressing: Fertilizers applied during planting are enough for two years. From the third season, complex mineral-organic top dressings must be applied with early spring until the middle of summer. For example: a solution of 15 g of urea, 1 kg of mullein and 20 g ammonium nitrate in 10 liters of water - such a fertilizer in the amount of 40 liters is applied instead of watering once a month.
• Pruning: there is no need to form a magnolia crown, and sanitary pruning is carried out after flowering.
• Reproduction: usually cuttings, layering, grafting. For breeding experiments, you can use the seed method.
• Pests: rose thrips, mealybugs, peach aphids, spider or transparent mites, rodents.
• Diseases: chlorosis, seedling rot, powdery mildew, gray mold, black fungus, botrytis and scab.

Read more about growing magnolia below.

Magnolia - description

The magnolia plant can be a deciduous tree or shrub with brown or ash gray bark that is smooth, furrowed, or scaly. In height, magnolia can reach from 5 to 20 m. Large scars from leaves and narrow annular scars from stipules are noticeable on its shoots. Magnolia buds are large, as are entire, leathery, emerald green leaves with pinnate venation and slight pubescence from below, which are mostly obovate or elliptical in shape. Single fragrant bisexual terminal or axillary flowers with a diameter of about 6 to 35 cm, white, cream, pink, red, lilac or purple, consist of 6-12 elongated wax petals tiled overlapping each other, arranged in one or more rows. Magnolia blooms in early spring, but some species bloom in early summer. Anyone who has seen a magnolia bloom will definitely want to grow this tree in their garden.

The magnolia fruit is a composite cone-shaped leaflet, consisting of many one- or two-seeded leaflets. Magnolia seeds, triangular, black, with a fleshy pink or red seed, hang on the seed threads when the leaflets open.

The magnolia tree, like the magnolia bush, is highly ornamental plant. It is especially beautiful in spring: blooming magnolia is a sight that will be remembered forever. But magnolia is valued not only for its beauty: its flowers, fruits, leaves and even bark contain essential oils, which are a unique antiseptic for rheumatism, hypertension and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Planting magnolia in the garden

When to Plant Magnolia

Magnolia does not grow everywhere, but if your area is suitable for growing it, then plant it in a sunny area, protected from the north and east winds, away from large trees so that no shadow falls on it: slight shading is only permissible in southern regions. Magnolia also has requirements for the composition of the soil: it should not be highly calcareous or saline, too wet, heavy or sandy. Neutral and slightly acidic soils rich in organic matter are considered optimal. When buying planting material, give preference to a seedling about 1 m high with one or two buds and with a closed root system so that it does not dry out while waiting for planting. Seedlings whose root system is in a container can be planted in open ground in spring, summer, and autumn.

As for the timing of landing, most experts believe best time for this, autumn is from mid to late October, when the magnolia seedlings are already at rest. At autumn planting almost 100% of seedlings take root. Magnolia planting in the spring is carried out in April, but it must be borne in mind that even minor return frosts can greatly harm the trees that have started to grow.

How to plant a magnolia

When preparing a planting pit, it should be borne in mind that its size should be at least twice the volume of the root system of the seedling. The soil of the upper fertile layer removed from the pit should be mixed with rotted compost, and if the soil is too dense, add some sand to it.

Lay a layer of drainage material in the hole - crushed stone, broken brick or crushed ceramic tiles- 15-20 cm thick, then place a layer of sand about 15 cm thick on top, and on it - a layer of prepared fertile mixture. Place a magnolia seedling in the center of the hole so that the root collar after planting is 3-5 cm above the surface. Fill the remaining space in the hole with soil, lightly tamp the surface, and water the plant liberally. When the water is absorbed, mulch the near-stem circle of the magnolia seedling with peat, and on top of it with dry bark coniferous trees to keep the soil from evaporating moisture too quickly.

Magnolia care in the garden

Growing Magnolia

Magnolia moisture is needed constantly. Especially in need of regular and abundant watering seedlings aged from one to three years. The soil in the trunk circle should be moist, but not wet, and the water for irrigation should be warm. It is only necessary to loosen the soil in the near-trunk circle with a pitchfork and very carefully, since the magnolia has a superficial root system that is easily damaged by garden tools. Therefore, it is recommended that the trunk circles of magnolias be mulched.

Growing magnolia involves the introduction of fertilizers into its near-stem circle. Trees up to two years old have enough nutrition laid in the soil during planting, and with three years of age you need to start feeding. Fertilize magnolia in the first half of the growing season. As a top dressing, you can use ready-made mineral complexes, the packaging of which indicates the required dosage, but you can make top dressing yourself: dissolve 20 g of ammonium nitrate, 15 g of urea and 1 kg of mullein in 10 liters of water. To feed one adult tree, you will need 40 liters of this solution. Bring it instead of watering once a month. Keep in mind that magnolia is easy to overfeed, and if you find that its leaves begin to dry prematurely, stop fertilizing and increase watering when watering.

magnolia transplant in the garden

Magnolia does not tolerate transplanting very well, but if you have such a need, do everything as she likes: find the most suitable place, taking into account the growth dynamics of magnolia. Before digging up the plant, be sure to water it well and remember that the larger the earthen ball on the roots of the plant, the easier it will take root. Magnolia is dragged to a new place on a piece of oilcloth or a sheet of plywood. Transplantation is carried out in the same order as the primary planting: first, a spacious pit is prepared, drainage, sand, and some fertile soil are placed in it, and then a magnolia is placed in the center of the pit and the free space is filled with earth, leaving the root neck of the plant above the surface of the plot. You do not need to compact the soil around the plant much, just lightly press it with your hands.

After transplantation, abundant watering is carried out, and then the trunk circle is mulched. If the transplant was carried out in the autumn, for the winter in the near-stem circle you need to pour a mound of dry earth - this measure will protect the root system of the plant from freezing. The trunk and branches of a transplanted tree are wrapped in a cloth for the winter.

pruning magnolia

Magnolia does not need formative pruning in the garden, and sanitary cleaning is carried out only after flowering: shoots frozen in winter, wilted flowers, dry and thickening branches are removed. Fresh cuts need to be treated with garden pitch. Do not prune magnolia in the spring, as all plants of this genus are characterized by intense sap flow and can die from wounds.

Pests and diseases of magnolia

For a long time it was believed that magnolia is immune to diseases and pests and suffers from completely different problems. For example, sometimes yellow spots begin to appear on its leaves - chlorosis. In this case, the veins of the leaves remain green. This is a signal that there is a lot of lime in the soil, and the magnolia root system in such an environment develops poorly and dies. In this case, you need to add acidic peat or coniferous soil to the soil. And you can use to restore the required level of acidity commercially available chemicals eg iron chelate.

The oversaturation of the soil with fertilizers slows down the growth and development of magnolia, since soil salinization occurs from an excess of nutrients. It is possible to determine that too much fertilizer has accumulated in the roots by the edges of the old leaves of the plant that dry out already at the end of July. Stop fertilizing and increase water consumption when watering.

From insects, magnolia thrips, mealybugs and peach aphids can harm magnolia, and during the dry period, spider or transparent mites can settle on the plant. All these pests suck the juices out of the magnolia, weakening the plant. From this, the leaves from the tree begin to fall off already in July or August. Sucking pests sometimes weaken the magnolia so much that it almost does not grow the next year. In addition, they carry incurable viral diseases. It is necessary to fight ticks, thrips, worms and aphids with acaricides - treating the tree with a solution of Aktellik, Aktara or a similar drug.

AT winter time magnolia can suffer from rodents eating the roots and root neck of the tree, but you will only know about this if you remove the top layer of soil. If bites are found, treat them with a one percent solution of Fundazol and continue to cover the near-stem circle for the winter only after the top layer of soil freezes. In this case, the rodents will not get to the roots.

Of the diseases in our climate, fungal infections can affect magnolia: seedling rot, powdery mildew, gray mold, soot fungus, botrytis and scab. These diseases can be dealt with if they are detected in time and measures are taken immediately: reduce watering and treat the plant with a fungicide solution. It is possible that the processing will have to be carried out repeatedly. And from bacterial spotting, magnolia is treated with copper sulphate.

Magnolia reproduction

How to propagate magnolia

Magnolia is propagated by seed and vegetative methods - cuttings, layering and grafting, but only the vegetative method allows you to get hereditarily identical plants. In fairness, it should be said that generative propagation contributes to the development of new varieties, varieties or forms, moreover, this method is the easiest to perform.

Magnolia seeds ripen in September. Spread the collected seeds on paper, shake out the seeds from them and fill them with water for 2-3 days, then rub through a sieve to free them from the seeds. To remove oily deposits from the seeds, wash them in soapy water and then rinse thoroughly in running water. Pack the dried seeds in a plastic bag with wet sand or sphagnum (1: 4) and store until sowing in the refrigerator on the middle shelf for at least 20 days - the seeds must be stratified.

Before sowing, remove the seeds from the refrigerator, disinfect them in a fungicide solution and place them in damp moss for a while so that they peck. Of the stratified seeds, more than half germinate, but if the seeds are not prepared, there will be much less seedlings.

Magnolia seeds are sown in grooves 2 cm deep and covered with a layer of soil 1 cm thick. Since magnolia has a tap root system, the seedling container must be at least 30 cm deep. Seedlings are transplanted into open ground by transshipment when the threat of return frosts has passed. For the winter, they are covered “with their heads” with dry peat.

Reproduction of magnolia cuttings

It is necessary to harvest cuttings for reproduction of magnolia from young plants, before the buds bloom on the tree. The ideal cutting should be green on top and woody on the bottom. Planted cuttings in late June or early July in a greenhouse, where it will be possible to control the temperature and humidity of the air and soil. Sand or a mixture of sand with peat, perlite and vermiculite is used as a substrate. Rooting should take place at a temperature of 20-24 ºC, and then the appearance of roots in the cuttings can be expected in five to seven weeks. Large-flowered magnolia cuttings take twice as long to root. Try to be strict temperature regime, since at a lower temperature the process will proceed much more slowly, and at temperatures above 26 ºC, the cuttings will die. During the entire period of grafting, the greenhouse must be ventilated, and the soil must be kept moist.

Propagation of magnolia by layering

Shrub magnolias are propagated by layering: in the spring, a low-growing branch of the plant is pulled at the base with soft copper wire, bent down, fixed and poured a small mound of earth at the attachment point. The process of root formation will go faster if you make an annular incision at the place where the branch is in contact with the soil.

Magnolia can also be propagated by air layering. In late spring or early summer, make a circular cut of the bark 2-3 cm wide on the branch of your choice. Try to do this carefully so as not to damage the magnolia wood. Treat the cut with Heteroauxin, cover the wound with wet moss and wrap with cling film, fixing it above and below the cut. Then tie the branch to neighboring branches so that when strong wind she received no damage. Keep the moss moist: spray it several times a month, piercing the film with a syringe of water. After two or three months, roots form at the cut site. In autumn, the cuttings are cut off from the branch and grown at home.

Magnolia after flowering

Magnolia care after flowering

Magnolia blooms in spring or early summer and is a sight to behold: magnolia in bloom is the queen among garden trees. And when this holiday is over, you have to do sanitary pruning of the tree: remove wilted flowers, broken ones, dead in winter from frost and branches and shoots growing inside the crown. But even without flowers, magnolia is decorative due to its beautiful leathery leaves.

magnolia in winter

When deep autumn comes and the garden begins to fall asleep, your task is to prepare a shelter for the magnolia, because even the most winter-hardy species of this genus can suffer from frost, especially in windy and snowless winters. To avoid frost cracks, wrap the trunk of the tree with two layers of burlap, being careful not to damage the fragile branches. Then, after waiting for real frosts, cover the trunk circle with thick mulch. Now your beauty will not be afraid of frost, mice or other rodents.

Types and varieties of magnolia

The largest collections of magnolias are collected in the UK: in the Arnold Arboretum introduction center and in the Royal botanical garden. But there is also an excellent collection in Kyiv, and it is the Ukrainian experience of growing magnolias that gives hope for the promotion of this plant to the east and north. The most common types of magnolia in cultivation are:

- deciduous tree up to 10 m high, but more often a tall shrub with broadly elliptical leaves up to 15 cm long and fragrant cup-shaped, somewhat drooping white flowers on a pubescent thin pedicel. The diameter of the flowers is from 7 to 10 cm. This is one of the most winter-hardy species, tolerating short-term frosts down to -36 ºC. Cultivated since 1865;

or magnolia white flower comes from Japan and the island of Kunashir, in the Kuriles. This is a deciduous tree with a gray, smooth bark, reaching a height of 15 m. The leaves of this magnolia are collected in 8-10 pieces at the ends of the shoots, and the beautiful flowers up to 16 cm in diameter, creamy white in color, are distinguished by a spicy aroma. Fruits of bright red color reach a length of 20 cm. This tree is decorative at any time of the year, it tolerates shading and frost well, but it is demanding on the level of soil and air moisture. Cultivated since 1865;

- a plant originally from China, an analogue of obovate magnolia, but with larger leaves. Her flowers are also large, fragrant, reminiscent of water lilies, but with narrower petals pointed towards the top. In China, this species is used as medicinal plant, and in our area magnolia officinalis is still rare;

or magnolia cucumber from the central part of North America, where it grows in deciduous forests at the foot of the mountains and along the rocky banks of mountain rivers. This is a deciduous tree up to 30 m high with a pyramidal crown at a young age, which becomes rounded over time. The leaves are oval or elliptical, up to 24 cm long, dark green above and grayish green, shortly pubescent below. Flowers up to 8 cm in diameter are bell-shaped and yellow-green, sometimes with a bluish bloom, color. It is the most cold-resistant member of the genus. Cucumber magnolia has a form in which the leaves are either round or heart-shaped at the base, and the flowers are smaller than the main species and canary in color. In the United States, hybrids have also been obtained between pointed magnolia and lily-colored magnolia, united under the name Brooklyn magnolia;

- one of the most elegant and spectacular magnolias comes from Japan. This is a small tree or shrub up to 2.5 m high with bare gray-brown branches, narrow elliptical leaves up to 12 cm long and original flowers up to 10 cm in diameter with numerous snow-white, elongated ribbon-like petals directed in all directions, like the rays of a star. . This species has two decorative forms: pink and kei. Some varieties and hybrids of this plant are also popular among gardeners:

• Magnolia Susan- a variety with flowers of a dark purple-red hue on the outside and lighter on the inside. This variety is part of a series of hybrids with female names- Judy, Betty, Anna, Pinky, Randy, Jane and Ricky - which was bred in the 50s of the last century.

widely distributed in culture. It is supposedly originally from eastern China, and the plant came to Europe in 1790. Lily magnolia blooms profusely with lily-shaped flowers up to 11 cm in diameter. The flowers are purple on the outside, white on the inside, they have a barely perceptible aroma. Of greatest interest is the decorative form of this type of magnolia Nigre (Nigra) with ruby-red outside and white-lilac inside flowers that open in late April or early May;

originally from northern and central Japan and South Korea, and in 1862 the species was transported to New York, from where it came to Europe in 1879. In culture, the plant reaches a height of 10 m, but in nature it can grow two and a half times higher. The leaves of the tree are broad, obovate, with a sharp apex, bright green above and lighter below. This magnolia is white, fragrant, with flowers up to 10 cm in diameter. The plant blooms in the ninth or twelfth year. The species is characterized by frost resistance, gas and dust resistance. The northern form of the species is a plant with larger flowers and even more resistant to low temperatures;

comes from the southeastern states of North America. She has a slender cylindrical trunk, a beautifully shaped crown, dark green, large shiny leaves and white flowers up to 25 cm in diameter, with a strong spicy aroma. Even the fruits of this plant are attractive: the original cone-like shape, brightly colored and very showy. At a young age, magnolia grandiflora develops slowly, growing annually by only 60 cm. It does not differ in frost resistance, withstanding colds of at least -15 ºC, but it copes well with urban conditions, is resistant to diseases and pests and is durable. The main decorative forms of large-flowered magnolia are:

• angustifolia- a plant with narrower leaves than the main species;
• lanceolate- a plant with elongated leaves;
• famous- magnolia with very wide leaves and flowers with a diameter of up to 35 cm;
• round-leaved- this plant has very dark green leaves and flowers up to 15 cm in diameter;
• early- magnolia, blooming earlier than the main species;
• exonian- a tall tree with a narrow pyramidal crown shape and oblong leaves pubescent from below;
• Praverty- magnolia with a strictly pyramidal crown;
• Hartvisa- a tree with a pyramidal crown and wavy leaves;
• dragon- a plant with a low crown, the branches of which, hanging in an arcuate manner, touch the ground and take root easily;
• gallison- magnolia of higher winter hardiness than the main species.

Magnolia Sulange (Magnolia x soulangeana)

- a hybrid bred in 1820 by the French scientist Etienne Soulange. Since then, more than 50 forms of this hybrid have been registered and are incredibly popular all over the world. Magnolia Sulange is a deciduous shrub or tree up to 5 m high with obovate leaves up to 15 cm long and goblet flowers with a diameter of 15 to 25 cm, sometimes fragrant, and sometimes completely odorless, with petals from pale pink to purple, and only occasionally there are specimens with white flowers. The plant is resistant to adverse climatic factors and grows well on soils of different composition. Of the many garden forms of this hybrid species, the following are most often grown:

After this article, they usually read

Magnolia, a tree or tall shrub native to North America and Southeast Asia, in the gardens of our country magnolia is valued as an ornamental plant with flowers in white, yellow and pink. The cultivation of magnolia in central Russia is limited due to the harsh climate, but in fact, the opinion about the high risk of magnolia freezing is somewhat exaggerated. The gardener, following the basic principles of care and investing a little of his attention, will receive from the magnolia the expected gratitude for many years.

Varieties

Magnolia includes more than 120 species of trees and shrubs, some of them are deciduous, others are evergreen. Unfortunately, not all magnolias are suitable for our climate, but with confidence we can choose three frost-resistant types - star magnolia, Cobus magnolia and Sulange magnolia.

Star magnolia blooms in March - April, takes the form of a branched tree up to 3 m high, fragrant flowers up to 8 cm in diameter, on average, each flower has 12 - 18 petals, color from white to pink. This species blooms in 2-3 years, has sufficient frost resistance, but the magnolia flower is delicate, with spring frosts the petals are damaged.

Magnolia Kobus is the most frost-resistant species, which makes it in demand. The tree reaches 10 m in height, as it grows, it acquires a conical or spherical shape. Varieties of this type of magnolia bloom before the leaves bloom - at the end of April. The most frost-resistant variety of this species is considered "Borealis" originally from northern Japan.

Magnolia Sulange is one of the most beautiful magnolias and is presented in a large number of varieties. Among the magnolias of this species there are both shrubs and trees, shrubs reach 4 m in height, trees up to 10 m. Sulange magnolias are distinguished by large flowers with a diameter of up to 15 cm, they bloom very luxuriantly, completely covering the tree with flowers in late April or early May. Sulange does not tolerate cold winters as well as Kobus magnolia, freezing of the plant is manifested by rare flowering. We note the most popular varieties of Sulange magnolia:

• Alba Superba - blooms white
• Alexandrina - takes the form of a shrub several meters high, blooms with pink flowers
• Speciosa - very beautiful light pink flowers, almost white

Other species to grow in our gardens are Magnolia Liliaceae and Magnolia Susan Hybrid. Magnolia Liliaceae is a shrub up to 3 m in height with purple flowers. The species has an average resistance to frost.

Magnolia Susan 4 m in height in last place in terms of frost resistance, does not tolerate cold winds.
The species richness of magnolias is very diverse, but the health and flowering of these exceptional trees depend on proper growing conditions.

magnolia planting

The deadline for planting deciduous magnolias is August, it is better to plant seedlings in May, when there are no frosts, and there is time for rooting until autumn. A place for planting magnolias is chosen open to sunlight, protected from the wind.

The soil should be permeable and slightly acidic (pH 5 - 6), fertilized with humus. Magnolia does not like strong competition, so let's exclude shrubs and trees growing nearby, snowdrops, anemones, violets, field daisies and crocuses are acceptable, but the reproduction of the listed flowers should be limited.

We consider landing among the lawn with caution, the sun is available on the magnolia lawn and good food for the roots, but there is a significant drawback - the wind, this problem can be easily solved by surrounding the lawn with a fence or tall plants.

Be careful when planting magnolia seedlings, the hole should be the size of the roots, the seedling is not cut off, and moreover, branches accidentally broken during planting delay the rooting of the plant.
After planting, the soil around the plant is covered with pine bark or peat with a layer of 30 cm to protect the roots from freezing. The root system of magnolias is very fragile, remember that further transplantation may lead to the death of the plant.

magnolia care

As already mentioned, the magnolia is not pruned, not during planting, not after. Pruning magnolia will not improve flowering, but on the contrary, will only worsen the condition of the tree. Magnolia blooms for about a month, pruning of dry branches damaged by frost after flowering is recommended. Magnolia does not tolerate drought; from May to August, the tree is regularly watered.

Some varieties of magnolias do not bloom until three years, fertilization will help bring the flowering period closer to 2 years, but if your seedling is grown from seed, the first flowering will not occur earlier than after 10 years. For magnolias, fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are used, they are applied in March before flowering and in June. Autumn application of phosphorus and potassium will prepare magnolia for winter.

For the first three years, magnolia is sensitive to severe frosts, while a small seedling is covered with spruce branches. Magnolia from May to September is attacked by spider mites, the leaves brighten, dry out and fall off. Also, aphids will attack the plant, the whole plant should be treated against the pest. Magnolia are prone to fungal diseases, the best prevention is proper watering - only the soil is moistened, and the leaves and branches must remain dry, fungicides are used when infected.

Blooming magnolia is the result of proper care in the first few years after planting, do not make mistakes at this time.