15 Varieties of Magnolia Trees With White Flowers

Magnolia trees are a popular and diverse group of deciduous to fully evergreen trees and shrubs. With varieties hardy from as far south as zone 12 all the way north to zone 4. From their gorgeous, glossy, deep green foliage to their large, highly fragranced, creamy blossoms, it’s difficult to decide which aspect of these trees is most appealing,

While magnolias come in a variety of striking colors. Magnolias bloom in shades of purple, red and pink, and even one or two green varieties. But the the classic white magnolia is a symbol for several states in the southern U.S. and a mascot for not a small number of gardening organizations. And it’s no wonder, the beauty of this flowering tree is unrivaled.

Let’s take a look at some of the most popular, and a few lesser-known, but very noteworthy specimens of these wonderful trees that have beautiful white blooms.

Anise Magnolia

Scientific Name: Magnolia Salicifolia

• Bloom Time: Spring
• Plant Size: 30’-50’ tall and wide
• Plant Zone:  6-9
• Light: Full Sun

Also known as Willow-leaf Magnolia, Anise is a mid-sized tree that hails from Japan. The name Anise comes from the scent of this magnolia’s flowers, which is reminiscent of lemons and licorice. This variety has a lovely pyramidal growth habit and gets quite tall over time.

The flowers are mid-sized (3”-6” wide), and creamy white, appearing before foliage in the spring. The blooms have a prominent, pink tinged carpel and stamens, which cast a pink glow on the petals. Anise is a very hardy variety, but because of its bloom time, can be susceptible to late frosts.

Bigleaf Magnolia

Scientific Name: Magnolia Macrophylla

• Bloom Time: Summer and Fall
• Plant Size: 30’-40’ tall and wide
• Plant Zone: 5-8
• Light: Full Sun

As its name implies, this species has very large (30”), paintbrush shaped leaves. Bigleaf is an imposing tree growing as large as 40’ tall and wide. This tree is intolerant to pollution, so it doesn’t do well in urban settings.

Rarely found growing in the wild, it takes a very particular landscape to accommodate this tree with its extra-large leaves. For the magnolia enthusiast, however, it’s a rare and quite desirable tree.

The blooms appear in May and are quite large, usually 8”-10”, but can grow as large as 12” in diameter, and are fragrant. The flowers generally grow quite high up on the tree, so they are not frequently enjoyed up close. These large flowers are white with just a suggestion of pink at the base of the petals.

Cucumber Tree

Scientific Name: Magnolia Acumnata

• Bloom Time: Summer
• Plant Size: 60’-75’ tall and wide
• Plant Zone: 4-8
• Light: Full Sun

This extra-large tree is the hardiest of all magnolias, however, in its native Canada, it is a threatened species. The cucumber magnolia derives its name from the fruit left behind after blooms fall, which is green and resembles the aforementioned vegetable.

Although the flowers are perhaps not as noteworthy as other varieties, this one is worth mentioning for its uniqueness. The blooms are a greenish white to yellow and open to only about 2” across in general.

D.D.Blanchard

Scientific Name: Magnolia Grandiflora ‘D.D.Blanchard’

• Bloom Time: Late Spring
• Plant Size: 75’-80’ tall and 35’-40’ wide – varies
• Plant Zone: 7-9
• Light: Full Sun

The size of D.D.Blanchard can vary greatly, but one thing is for certain, it is among the very largest specimens. Its lovely, large leaves are glossy green on top and velvety brown beneath, making them a favorite for holiday garlands. This variety has a pyramidal growth tendency.

The flowers are large (8”-10” in diameter) and wonderfully fragrant. These creamy, white, dinner plate sized blooms make wonderful cut flowers. One sweetly scented bloom floating in a crystal bowl of water makes quite a statement.

‘Encore’

Scientific Name: Magnolia x Loebneri ‘Encore’

• Bloom Time: Spring
• Plant Size: 8’-15’ tall and 6’-15’ wide
• Plant Zone: 4-8
• Light: Full Sun

A smaller plant, Encore is more suitable as a shrub than a tree. A row of these shrubs would make a gloriously fragrant hedge in spring, followed up with attractive green foliage through summer and fall.

Encore is extremely floriferous with multiple buds forming at the ends of stems as well as along the lengths of the stems. A seedling of the Ballerina variety, Encore has the faintest tinge of blush to its otherwise, white, starlike blossoms. The name is thought to be derived from the idea that once this plant blooms, you will want to see more and more.

‘Fairy Cream’

Scientific Name: Magnolia ‘Fairy Cream’

• Bloom Time: Spring
• Plant Size: 3’-9’ tall and wide
• Plant Zone: 8 and higher
• Light: Full Sun

This delightful evergreen magnolia is one of the Fairy Magnolia Series which have a reputation for being fast growers that are easy to maintain. Fairy magnolias are small and shrubby, and generally make a very nice hedge, but can be pruned into a small tree with quite a large personality.

In spring, flowers appear at the end of every branch, set off sweetly against the deep green foliage. The flowers are small (2.5”), star shaped, and fragrant. The Fairy Series of magnolias are hardy and do well in most soil types.

‘Kay Parris’

Scientific Name:  Magnolia Grandiflora ‘Kay Parris’

• Bloom Time: Summer and Fall
• Plant Size: 20’ tall and 10’ wide
• Plant Zone: 6-9
• Light: Full Sun to Part Shade

Kay Parris is a sweet, small tree or shrub. Kay is quite drought tolerant and has an erect carriage. The flowers are wonderful for cutting as well. This tree reaches maturity quickly, as it has a fast growth rate.

The flowers of this tree are slightly smaller but resemble the Southern Magnolia, and are quite fragrant. Kay’s leaves are shiny and leathery with a deep orange-brown velvet underside. Kay’s creamy white blooms appear in late spring and continue into the fall.

‘Kobus’

Scientific Name: Magnolia ‘Kobus‘

• Bloom Time: Early Spring
• Plant Size: 25’-30’ tall and wide
• Plant Zone: 5-8
• Light: Full Sun to Part Shade

Kobus is a lovely, small tree that begins its life with a pyramidal shaped growing habit.  It is slow growing and matures to more of a rounded shape, so it should be placed in a spot that allows for a fair amount of spread. This variety is hardy and easy to grow. It prefers some shelter from cold winds in climates that freeze for long periods.

 This lovely tree produces Small to medium (4”) five petaled flowers with a neat cluster of pale-yellow stamens and a small carpel. The fragrant blooms appear on bare wood in early spring. Southern exposure will encourage buds to form too early and be frost damaged, so plant with some shelter from Southern exposure.

‘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

This dwarf variety of magnolia has all the charm of a Southern Magnolia, in a much smaller package. If you have a limited amount of space, but want the look of a classic magnolia, this one’s for you. This small evergreen makes a great large container plant. Little Gem is tolerant of most watering and soil conditions within moderation.

This variety is an early bloomer, which is an advantage in the magnolia world. The flowers are mid-sized (4”) and quite fragrant, with beautiful white petals and a central carpel covered in yellow stamens. These lovely blooms appear in Spring and summer and the tree is evergreen. Little Gem is slow growing, but compact and has an upright growth habit.

These lovely blooms appear in Spring and summer on evergreen foliage. Little Gem is slow growing, with an upright growth habit.

‘Merrill’

Scientific Name: Magnolia x loebneri ‘Merrill’

• Bloom Time: Spring
• Plant Size: 20’-60’ tall and 20’-45’ wide
• Plant Zone: 5-9
• Light: Full Sun to Part Shade

This variety, named for Dr. Elmer Merrill, administrator of Harvard University’s botanical collections in the mid 20^th century, has good winter hardiness. However, it is intolerant of extreme moisture or soil variations.

It needs a bit of protection from freezing winds that could damage foliage and flowers. Merrill is a fast-growing specimen, and generally tops out around 35’ but has been known to grow taller.

This tree’s stunning blooms are medium to large (4”-6”) and creamy white. The double petal formation frames a pretty pink carpel and pink stamens, which gives the interior of the flowers a glow from within appearance. The tree is generally multi-trunked and shows off in Spring with a great many of these fragrant, gorgeous blooms.

Michelia Alba

Scientific Name: Magnolia x Alba

• Bloom Time: Winter and Spring
• Plant Size: 25’-30’ tall and wide
• Plant Zone: 8-12
• Light: Full Sun

This is a unique type of magnolia, and has some very interesting characteristics that are uncommon to the genus. Michelia is evergreen to zone 10, and deciduous in zones 8 and 9. The foliage is glossy and beautiful. This is a magnolia that prefers to live in warmer climates. It is early to bloom, but slow growing.

The flowers are distinctly shaped with long thin petals and have a spider-like appearance. The heavily fragranced blooms are commonly used in Indonesian bridal garlands. Flowers retain their scent for a long time after cutting. This variety goes by many aliases mainly referencing its remarkably fragrant flowers.

Moonglow

Scientific Name: Magnolia Virginiana ‘Jim Wilson’

• Bloom Time: Late Spring
• Plant Size: 30’ tall and 20’ wide
• Plant Zone: 5-10
• Light: Full Sun

Moonglow, also called Sweet Bay Magnolia, is evergreen even to zone 5. It’s large Leaves, trunk and roots are perfumed with a rich vanilla fragrance. This variety likes a lot of water, and even does well in boggy soil. The shiny green foliage has a silver tint to the underside of the leaves.

This upright, vigorous growing tree blooms in late spring. The large cream-colored blooms have a fresh, lemony scent, giving the entire tree a wonderful confectionary quality. Cup shaped flowers with a large showy, yellow-green carpel are great nectar producers that attract butterflies.

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 it’s amazing star-like blooms. This is an early blooming variety, with mid-sized (4”), white double petaled, dainty blooms. The petal formation makes these flowers look like twinkling stars. This variety is deciduous, and blooms in spring on bare wood.

The variety is very  tolerant of cold and heat. It makes a beautiful shrub or small tree with it’s low growing habit. Royal Star is native to Japan.

It likes rich, loamy soil and a moderate amount of water. This is a popular variety because of its showy flowering nature. It also makes a wonderful, springtime focal point.

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 the gold standard in magnolia species. Growing as tall as 80’ with nearly as great a spread, this is an amazing specimen when it reaches maturity. It is, however, a slow growing variety, growing only 1’-2’ per year. It is evergreen and its leaves are popular for making garlands around the holidays with their high gloss tops and rusty velvet undersides.

The spectacular white flowers of this tree bloom in summer, and they are truly a sight to behold. The blooms are up to 12” in diameter, and creamy white with large, round petals. In the center is a large, pale-yellow carpel covered in pollen rich stamens. In addition to the striking look of the blooms, they are wonderfully fragranced to boot!

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 magnolia tree, Teddy Bear can grow up to 20’ tall and sometimes taller. It is better trained into the shape of a tree than a shrub, and makes a wonderful large container plant.

This tree has long lasting blooms that appear in summertime.  The blooms are large (6”-8”) and long lasting, sticking around until the fall. The flowers resemble the larger Southern Magnolia blooms, but the interior is delicately tapered and there is a rich yellow shade to the central carpel and the pollen covered stamens. The fragrance is lingering and very pleasant.