My grandfather’s house used to be flanked by a magnolia tree so large that, in spring, all you could see was creamy blossom. It was the kind of tree that felt fairytale-like to a child: a twisting trunk good for climbing, a transportive shadow over the garden path. It would nudge against the house like an additional porch made of branches and leaves and, in March – the month of his birth – flowers.
He was insistent that he would always live in this house, and he did – for more than 60 years. I learned after he died that he had planted that magnolia as a sapling. That fairytale tree had not taken centuries to grow, but two human generations.
After a new family moved in, the tree died of old age. In its place they planted a little knot garden that my mother suggested my gran would have enjoyed, and let untold light into the windows of their home. A new chapter.
Still, I can’t walk past a magnolia without thinking of my grandfather. Aside from the actual association, they’re also the kind of plant that he enjoyed: unapologetically elaborate and elegant, hailing from far-flung lands and with a long history. There are hundreds of species and cultivars, but the tree you often see on residential streets is Magnolia x soulangeana, which boasts handful-sized white flowers, tinged with pink at the base and shiny green leaves, which will drop over winter.
It’s a cheering sight in late winter/early spring, seeing the fuzzy buds swell at the tips of branches. All that anticipation for a few weeks’ brilliance, followed by those opulent carpets of petals laid across the pavements.
In general, magnolias prefer neutral to slightly acidic soil, so if you don’t have that to hand, aim for one of the more compact, pot-tolerant varieties such as M. stellata. Offer them a sunny spot, and be patient: many take years to flower.
The range within those hundreds of varieties is quite something to behold, and you can see a number of them at Kew Gardens in London. Last spring, I found myself dazzled by the buttery delicacy of Magnolia ‘Yellow Lantern’ and Magnolia ‘Spectrum’, which has outrageously Barbie Pink petals, lined in baby pink. The flowers of M. campbellii, are a paler pink, faced down, like falling stars, while Magnolia ‘Phelan Bright’ has huge, ornamental white flowers.
Perhaps one year I’ll plant one. I like the idea of keeping one in a pot – adding a bit of glamour to a sunkissed patio before spring kicks in. It would probably be the Magnolia ‘Daphne’ with yellow flowers. Daphne is my grandmother’s name.
