Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) Growing & Care Guide for Gardeners
Article by Dean Ravenscroft, Ph.D. - Updated 1st Feb 2024
- Plant Characteristics: Boasts large, glossy evergreen leaves and enormous, fragrant white flowers. This iconic tree is a staple of tropical landscapes, offering year-round beauty.
- Growing & Care: Prefers full sun to partial shade and moist, well-drained, acidic soil. Requires space to grow, as it can become a large, majestic tree.
- Tips for New Gardeners: Plant in a sheltered location to protect the blooms and choose your site carefully to accommodate its eventual size. Water regularly during its first few years to establish a deep, extensive root system.
The Magnolia grandiflora plant is a fast growing native tree (or rounded shrub) of southeastern USA.
It is loved for its large showy flowers. These are heavily fragrant, and may appear before the formation of leaves.
Magnolia leaves photograph by Wendy Cutler.
Their leaves are also very attractive as they have a glossy appearance. They are green above and rusty brown underneath.
Plants tend to have a deciduous nature in colder areas, where the winters are harsh.
photograph by Alan Schmierer.
Plants can reach great heights in the right conditions, and as a hard wood their timber is often used to make furniture.
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Quick Growing and Care Guide
- Scientific Name: Magnolia grandiflora
- Common Name (s): Bull bay, Large tree magnolia, Southern magnolia, Bullbay
- Cultivars: Around 50 including Angustifolia (France); Bracken's Brown Beauty (USA); Edith Bogue (USA); Exmouth (UK); Goliath (UK); Little Gem (USA / Dwarf reaching about 14 feet (4 m) in height.
- Growing Zone (USA / UK Hardiness): 7 to 9 (winter cultivars such as Bracken’s Brown Beauty can be grown to USDA zone 5B) / H5
Plant Details
- Life Cycle / Plant Type: Deciduous tree, evergreen tree, or shrub
- Plant Height: 60 to 90 feet (18 to 27 m)
- Plant Spread: 30 to 50 feet (9 to 15 m)
- Blooms: Late spring to early summer.
- Flower Details: Cup-shaped. White. Heavily scented. Large (6 to 12 inches diameter / 15 to 30 cm).
- Leaf Foliage: Large: length - 8 inches / 20 cm; width 5 inches (12 cm). Broadleaf. Dark green top, sometimes rusty brown beneath. Glossy. leathery. Alternative, pinnate. Oblong-elliptic.
- Fruit: Showy. Ovoid. Rose colored. Cone-like.
Growing Conditions
- Best Conditions: Partial shade (for best results) to full sun. Protected area.
- Suitable Soil Types: Well drained. Rich, Porous. Loam, sandy, clay.
- Suitable Soil pH: Acidic or neutral
- Soil Soil Moisture: Moist (good drainage essential)
- Sowing, planting, and Propagation: Sow seeds in the autumn. Take semi-ripe cuttings towards the end of summer or in early autumn. Layer shoots in early spring.
- Care: Medium maintenance plant. Light pruning in the spring. Also Prune if training against a wall in the summer.
Further Information
- Best used for: Ornamental tree, parks, lawns. Winter interest.
- Family: Magnoliaceae.
- Closely Related Species: Liriodendron.
- Miscellaneous: Good timber. Produces seeds from about ten years of age. Naturally found in swamps and at the edges of water, or as a shrub in dunes. Can tolerate air pollution. Takes at least 20 years to reach full height.
- Further Reading and References used for this Magnolia grandiflora growing guide: NC Extension; Wikipedia
I hope that you enjoyed this guide on how to grow Magnolia grandiflora plants. You may also enjoy the following Gardener's HQ growing guides: How to grow Jacaranda mimosifolia, Sun rose, and Zanthoxylum plants.
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