Magnolia Tree Types: Planting, Maintenance and Care

Magnolia trees are prized for their elegant shape, their beautiful foliage, and their overall hardiness. But the real star of the show are their large, fragrant, and beautiful flowers that perfume the air with their redolent, lemony, sometimes musky and spicy, and all-around pleasing fragrance. With both evergreen and deciduous varieties, the variation of size, bloom formation and color and hardiness is far reaching.

These beautiful trees are famous not only for their beautiful scent, but for their magnificent blooms, commonly flowering in whites, pinks and purples. The bloom is the state flower for both Mississippi and Louisiana.

Adding a magnolia tree to your landscape takes time and planning. Ensuring your tree has proper care and maintenance will go a long way to help them achieve their full growth potential. Keep reading to learn about the many different types of magnolia trees, as well as everything you need to know about their maintenance and care.

Planting

Deciduous magnolias should be planted when they are dormant, with bare branches. In warmer climates, this makes the best planting time late fall to early winter. In colder climates, they can be planted after the ground thaws in spring.

Evergreen magnolias should typically be planted in the spring before they flower. Always try to plant when no flowers are present, as changing the environment will shorten the life of the blooms.

Dig a hole that is 50% wider and just slightly less deep than the root ball. The upper most root should be slightly above the undisturbed soil, and about 25% above the ground if planting in soil that is clay heavy.

Fill in the hole with the soil dug from the hole, but do not cover the top of the root ball. A bit of mulch is fine to cover the roots that are above the soil level. Water the tree in right after planting.

How to Grow

In warm climates, newly planted magnolias should be watered deeply, 2-3 times per week, for 3-6 months, and then weekly for the remainder of the growing season. Watering is perfectly fine until they lose their leaves for the winter, if you have an irrigation system.

In the case of evergreen magnolias, the growing season lasts through the summer. In cooler climate zones, reduce the initial watering to once or twice per week for the first several months.

A thin layer of bark much, or thicker layer of pine needle mulch, is great for holding in moisture and protecting the tree’s shallow root system.

Light

Magnolia trees like full to part sun. This varies in relationship to the climate in which you are planting. In warmer climates, young trees may benefit from some protection from hot afternoon sun. Avoid planting in full southern exposure in warmer climates.

Full sun being at least 6 hours of direct sun, magnolias should get the bulk of this sun in the morning.

In cooler climates, Magnolias can take full sun through most of the day but may need some shelter from the wind. Cold winds can damage early blooming varieties, and snap brittle branches.

Water

Newly planted magnolias should be watered deeply to encourage the roots to anchor deeply into the ground. Magnolias have shallow root systems, so the deeper they go, the less chance there is of damaging the roots close to the surface.

As mentioned, watering 2-3 times weekly for the first 3-6 months should be sufficient. Use rainfall and temperature to adjust the amount of water so that the ground gets a good soaking at least this often.

After a magnolia is established, it only needs to be watered in times of drought. If you aren’t getting regular rainfall, a magnolia will benefit from deep watering once per week. Magnolias like moist soil, but not soggy roots. Most magnolias are quite drought tolerant once mature.

Soil

The best soil type for magnolias is loamy, well-drained, and slightly acidic. They will adapt well to loamy soil, sand and clay, as long as there is proper drainage, and the ground isn’t swampy.

If planting in sandy soil, it’s important to keep your magnolia watered, and plant in partial shade as sandy soil tends to heat and cool faster and dry out faster as well. A bit more care should be taken in terms of protecting the young tree against temperature shifts in this soil type. Mulch is a very good idea if your soil is sandy.

Loamy soil is ideal, as long as it doesn’t stay soggy. Mulch around the base will protect the shallow roots from lawn equipment and traffic in softer soil types.

Clay provides the acidity that magnolias like and can be a great soil type for these trees, however, clay compacts easily which can damage those shallow roots, so a thick layer of mulch is a must.

Climate and Temperature

Depending on the species, magnolias can survive in a wide range of climate zones. The Star Magnolia species can grow as far north as zone 4, and south to zone 8.  In general, most species grow well in zones 7-9. Some hybrids are bred to bloom later in the spring, so they will tolerate colder weather.

Placement is important when planting at the top and bottom range of zones. If planting in zones 9-11, give your magnolia some protection from the afternoon sun.

Make sure it gets enough water, as well. If planting in a colder climate, place your magnolia in a spot that has some protection from freezing winds. Planting near a structure or other large trees will help protect and maintain early blooming flowers.

Here is a list of the hardiest varieties for each zone, this list is composed of species and not individual varieties, as some varieties are hybridized to be hardier in colder or warmer weather than their parent species.

Fertilizer

Magnolia trees only need to be fertilized during their growing seasons, so from late spring through early fall, they should be fertilized about 3 times. Fertilizing is especially important in the tree’s early years.

Magnolias are notoriously slow growers and fertilizing a young tree will help to increase that growth rate and get your magnolia blooming sooner.

A balanced fertilizer such as 8-8-8 or 10-10-10 is best, as it will give your magnolia the right balance of nutrients it needs. Simply spread granular fertilizer in a circle around the base of the plant, preferably right before expected rainfall. If rain is inconsistent or in times of drought, water deeply after fertilizer application.

Maintenance

Magnolias are notoriously low maintenance, especially for the abundance of flowers they produce. All your magnolia will need from you after the first couple of years is a weekly watering in times of drought and the occasional fertilizing.

This low maintenance habit is just another facet of the magnolia’s appeal. Who doesn’t like an unfussy tree that creates such a beautiful floral display?

Pruning

In early years, you may want to do some light pruning to shape the plant into a tree or shrub. A great quality of magnolias is that they will grow into a nicely balanced shape, quite on their own with little intervention.

For shrubbier magnolias, which include most shorter, deciduous types, you will have to do a bit of pruning in the first few years if the shape you desire is more treelike. Make sure, as with all gardening, that you use a clean, sharp tool to remove the lower branches.

Magnolias heal slowly and a clean cut heals best. Removing the bottom branches will create a more streamlined trunk portion, as well as encouraging upward growth.

Aside from this early shaping, it is best not to remove healthy growth, as the tree will naturally grow in a balanced and shapely manner. Only prune off limbs that grow directly upward, and any foliage that is dead or unhealthy.

Pruning should be performed in late spring or summer, after blooms have fallen, and with ample recovery time in the growing season.

Pests & Diseases

Although few are fatal to a mature tree, there are a number of pests and diseases that can harm the overall health, as well as the appearance, of a magnolia. The key to minimizing the damage is recognizing an issue early on and treating it.

Scale

Magnolia scales are the largest type of soft scale. They can be very destructive to a magnolia and hybrids are particularly susceptible. If the population of scale on a magnolia is high, there is a chance of severe damage to the plant. Soft scales deplete the nutrients from a plant and leave behind a waxy secretion called honeydew which can cause growth of black sooty mold.

These insects can make a real mess of magnolia over time. Scales can be removed by hand by brushing them off with a gloved hand. If the infestation is too great for this, you can try insecticidal oils like neem, which have less of a negative effect on good insects, or spray with a dish soap and water solution sprayed on the underside of the leaves.

If all else fails, commercial insecticides will eradicate scale, but are harmful to pollinating and other good insects so use should be limited. Neem oil can be used on the eggs, it will not kill the adult scale, but it will prevent the eggs from hatching a new generation after you’ve gotten rid of the adult scale.

Aphids

Aphids are probably the most common pests in the gardening world. They love to feed on the sap of a tree, which they access by piercing the leaves and soft tissue and sucking the sap out. This causes the leaves, generally the newest, softest growth, to shrivel and turn yellow.

Over time, aphids can cause significant damage to a magnolia. In treating aphids, remove badly damaged leaves, and spray aphids off with a stream of water from the hose. Neem oil is a good treatment for aphids, but make sure to use it in the afternoon, so that it dries before the pollinators get started in the morning.

Thrips

Thrips are small flying insects that lay their eggs around the base of a tree. When the larvae hatch, they feed on the leaves of the magnolia, causing the leaves to turn yellow, usually beginning in spots all over the leaves. These are mainly an issue in the Spring when the larvae hatch.

Ladybugs love to eat thrips. You can order ladybugs to be delivered in the mail. This is a great way to get rid of aphids as well, as ladybugs eat those, too. Another solution is to spray leaves with horticultural insecticidal oil.

Caterpillars

The larvae of the omnivorous looper moth love to feed on magnolia foliage. Looper larvae eat the soft tissue of the leaves, leaving the veining intact. These larvae are small and hide easily. Inspecting the bottom and base of the leaves can confirm infestation.

If there are few insects present, removal by hand may be effective. Remove leaves that are heavily damaged, and if all else fails, commercial insecticides will help as a last resort.

Powdery Mildew

Powdery mildew is the result of several types of fungus that can live on the surface of magnolia leaves. It will look as though the leaves are dusted with powder and will cause eventual death of the leaf.

You can rinse this powdery substance from the leaves as it does not survive watering. If this does not do the trick, there are organic fungicides that are commercially available that should take care of the problem quickly.

Wetwood

Wetwood is a bacterial infection, also known by the name slime flux. It causes rotting in the trunk of the tree and can be diagnosed by noting the appearance of an open, weeping spot, often near a pruning scar or juncture of branches. The weeping is actually the tree’s natural way of ridding itself of the infection, so it is a good sign.

There is no real effective way to treat this issue, other than to maintain the tree’s overall health, as a healthy tree will overcome the issue on its own and form a seal over the area that was diseased and weeping.  Taking care when pruning and pruning sparingly is a good preventive measure.

Wood Rot

Rot is caused by the introduction of fungus into the trunk of the tree. Sometimes this is detectable by the formation of mushrooms around the base of the tree, but often the tree will appear healthy for quite some time. Preventing fungus by limiting pruning and cleaning tools is the best prevention and removing diseased or dead limbs can mitigate the damage.

As with most bacterial and fungal diseases, the best treatment is prevention. I can’t stress enough the importance of using clean, sharp tools when pruning a tree, as these diseases spread by using infected tools without cleaning in between.

Verticillium Wilt

This is a vascular pathogen that leads to leaf yellowing and wilting, and eventual death of leaves, appearing from the tips of leaves and working backward. The only way to keep this from causing whole plant death is to remove infected growth and dispose of it away from the tree and other plants.

Popular Varieties

Magnolias can make great full sized flowering trees. But there are a number of dwarf varieties that are more compact. Magnolia flowers bloom in yellow, pink, and probably the most popular – white. There are also some varieties that are more shrub-like in nature. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular types of magnolias you can grow.

Brozzonii

Scientific Name: Magnolia soulangeana ‘Brozzonii’

• Bloom Time: Late Spring
• Plant Size: 20’-30’ tall and 15’-20’ wide
• Plant Zone: 5-9
• Light: Full to Part Sun

This Japanese Magnolia is an older cultivar which blooms 2 weeks later than most, in mid to late April. This makes the plant especially cold hardy, as the blooms are unlikely to be damaged by a late frost. The new foliage comes in a reddish bronze color before turning dark green, adding interest to the tree even when not in bloom.

‘Brozzonii’ flowers at a young age so won’t have to wait very long to see blooms, white some magnolias do not bloom until well into the teenage years, this is a great quality!

The blooms from this magnolia are pure white with a purple brush stroke at each petal’s base, and saucer shaped. It is a heavy bloomer in the spring and puts on a lovely show. While some varieties are sensitive to pollution, this one is good for urban gardens, as it is quite tolerant of different conditions.

Jane

Scientific Name: Magnolia x ‘Jane’

• Bloom Time: Spring
• Plant Size: 10’-15’ tall 8’-10 wide
• Plant Zone: 4-8
• Light: Full Sun to Part Shade

This sweet little magnolia is part of the “Little Girl” series introduced by the U.S. National Arboretum. ‘Jane’ is slight in stature, and makes a wonderful shrub, but can be trained into a small tree as well. 

This one fits perfectly into just about any space. ‘Jane’ is very low maintenance and won’t need much attention at all aside from a bit of mulch and the attention you will want to pay it in the Spring when it blooms.

Jane’s flowers are simply stunning. They are large (8”) and tulip shaped with a gentle fragrance. The purple buds of this magnolia open in April to reveal pure white petals on the inside. This variety blooms later in the spring than most magnolias, so it is quite cold hardy and tends to avoid any late frost damage.

Jane Platt

Scientific Name: Magnolia Stellata ‘Jane Platt’

• Bloom Time: Early to Mid-Spring
• Plant Size: 10’-15’ tall and 8’-12’ wide
• Plant Zone: 4-8
• Light: Full to Part Sun

‘Jane Platt’ is a stellata variety, indicating that the blooms will be many petaled and have more of a star shape than the soulangeana’s saucer shape. The blooms on this variety are just stunning. With up to 32 long, narrow pale pink petals, the petals have a deeper rose colored streak underneath.

This variety is a nice, compact plant with an upright, pyramidal growth habit. It makes a wonderful small tree and fits well in smaller gardens as a focal point in spring. A winner of the Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society, Jane Platt’s blooms are also softly fragrant.

Leonard Messel

Scientific Name: Magnolia x loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’

• Bloom Time: Spring
• Plant Size: 15’-30’ tall and 20’-25’ wide
• Plant Zone: 5-9
• Light: Full Sun

This variety blooms at an early age with glorious bi-color flowers. The rosy, purple outside of the petals compliment the creamy white inside with a soft blush. This combination of colors provide an elegant pink appearance to the entire tree as blossoms appear on bare branches.

This is a compact variety that makes a lovely small tree. It can also be kept low and trained into a shrub shape. Whatever the shape you choose to train this beauty to, it is a spectacular plant when it sends out its plentiful, star-like blooms.

Little Gem

Scientific Name: Magnolia Grandiflora ‘Little Gem’

• Bloom Time: Spring and Summer
• Plant Size: 15’-20’ tall and 7’-10’ wide
• Plant Zone: 6-10
• Light: Full Sun

‘Little Gem’ has all the appeal of a stately Southern Magnolia, in a neat little package. Gardeners with more limited space will appreciate the compact form of this tree. This small evergreen makes a great large container plant. ‘Little Gem‘ is tolerant of most soil and watering conditions to a moderate degree.

This variety has the advantage of blooming early in maturation and produces a great number of blooms in those early years.

The flowers are mid-sized (4”) and quite fragrant, with rounded creamy white petals, a large yellow carpel, and plentiful stamens. These lovely blooms appear in Spring and summer on evergreen foliage. Little Gem is slow growing, with an upright growth habit.

Royal Star

Scientific Name: Magnolia Stellata ‘Royal Star’

• Bloom Time: Spring
• Plant Size: 10’-15’ tall and 10’-12’ wide
• Plant Zone: 4-9
• Light: Full Sun

‘Royal Star’ gets its name from the appearance of its blooms. The variety is early blooming, with mid-sized (4”), but dainty, white double petaled blooms that look like twinkling stars. This variety is deciduous, so blooms appear abundantly on bare branches.

‘Royal Star’ has very good cold and heat tolerance. It is low growing and makes a beautiful shrub or small tree with its rounded growth habit. Native to Japan, ‘Royal Star’ likes rich, loamy soil and moderate watering. It is quite popular for its showy, flowering nature. This variety makes a wonderful, springtime focal point.

Rustica Rubra

Scientific Name: Magnolia soulangeana ‘Rustica Rubra’

• Bloom Time: Early to Mid-Spring
• Plant Size: 20’-25’ tall and wide
• Plant Zone: 5-9
• Light: Full to Part Sun

‘Rustica Rubra’ is a Japanese magnolia and has the signature saucer shaped blooms. The pink blooms on this magnolia appear on bare branches. The flowers are a bright, rose pink on the outside, with white inner petals creating a dramatic bi-color effect.

It is an adaptable variety that can grow in urban landscapes and is on the larger side for a Japanese magnolia, making it a very showy tree in the spring, with its profuse blooming habit.

A bit of shelter from cold winds make a big difference in colder climates, as this is an early bloomer and therefore, susceptible to late frosts. The foliage is attractive, light green, nicely shaped leaves that turn a bronze shade in the fall.

Sweetbay

Scientific Name: Magnolia Virginiana

• Bloom Time: Late Spring into Summer
• Plant Size: 25’ tall and wide, up to 50’ eventually
• Plant Zone: 6-10
• Light: Full to Part Sun

The ‘Sweetbay’ Magnolia, also known as the Swamp Magnolia, is a medium sized tree that can be evergreen or deciduous depending on the climate in which it is grown. These trees reach heights of up to 35’ tall and wide. Sweeybay’s have a moderate to fast growth rate, growing from 13” to more than 24” per year.

The cream colored, lemon scented flowers won’t start to bloom until the tree is a few years old. The blooms on ‘Sweetbay’ have an interesting characteristic. They open in the morning and close at night, lasting for about 3 days before falling from the tree.

Southern Magnolia

Scientific Name: Magnolia Grandiflora

• Bloom Time: Summer and Fall
• Plant Size: 50’ tall and wide, can grow taller
• Plant Zone: 6-10
• Light: Part Shade

This magnificent tree is a cherished staple among magnolia species. Growing as tall as 80’ with nearly as great a spread, this is a spectacular specimen when it reaches maturity.

Don’t expect to see it reach these soaring heights for some time though, as this tree is slow to mature, gaining only 1’-2’ yearly. It is evergreen and features the leathery green leaves with velvety brown undersides that are so popular for use in holiday garlands.

The flowers bloom in early summer and are some of the most spectacular blooms around. Up to 12” in diameter, the blooms are creamy white with large, rounded petals. The center bears a large, pale-yellow carpel wrapped in pollen rich stamens. In addition to the striking appearance of the flowers, they are heavily fragranced as well!

Teddy Bear

Scientific Name: Magnolia Grandiflora ‘Southern Charm’

• Bloom Time: Summer and Fall
• Plant Size: 16’-20’ tall and 10’-12’ wide
• Plant Zone: 7-9
• Light: Full Sun

Compact for a Southern Magnolia hybrid, ‘Teddy Bear’ is a medium sized tree with an upright growth habit. It has the signature, leathery, deep green leaves with a fuzzy, bronze underside. Considered a dwarf of the species, ‘Teddy Bear’ can still reach heights up to 20’ and is better suited to a small tree than a shrub. It also adapts well to a large container.

The long-lasting blooms appear in summer. They are large (6”-8”) and last into the fall. The flowers resemble the larger Southern Magnolia blooms, but with a delicately tapered interior and a rich yellow shade to the central carpel and stamens. The fragrance is lingering and very pleasant.