Magnolia magnificence

Romantic magnolia must rank high on the list of everyone’s favourite flowering trees. Steve and Louisa Portman of Clareville Nursery and Garden Centre share their know-how on growing this most elegant of trees.

You’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing a magnolia, there is a huge range of shapes, sizes and colours available. But make sure you choose carefully as some grow as high as 10 metres; others spread widely (up to 5 metres) while some varieties grow in a space-saving pyramid shape.

Soil: when it comes to planting, look for a sunny position or at least a part-sunny spot. Magnolias prefera rich, acidic soil that drains adequately but is also well watered. You can increase soil acidity by planting and mulching with peat and rotted leaf mould.
Fertiliser: feed twice a year with acid fertiliser, starting from the next growing season. Fertilisers intended for rhododendron or azalea will work well, as magnolias are lime-haters.
Water: it’s important to keep watering through the long, dry Wairarapa summer – particularly while a young tree is being established. 
Pruning: you’ll find that very little pruning is required – although you might want to prune the tree to shape or tidy straggly branches. 

 Varieties
There are both deciduous and evergreen varieties of magnolia:
Evergreen magnolia: with shiny, dark green leaves and huge waxy white flowers, these grow in a variety of sizes but are generally better in large gardens. The most popular is Little Gem – which can grow to a relatively compact 4 metres wide to 2 metres high. If you are short on space Magnolia Blanchard has a more column-like shape.
Deciduous magnolia: this is probably the variety that most people will think of when they think of magnolia. In flower from early to late spring, each stage of their flowering is spectacular – from the large buds to the full cuplike blooms. There are around 210 species available ranging from shrubby stellata or Star Magnolia to tall, spreading trees. The range of colours cover the spectrum – white, pink, deep red, purples and even yellows. Favourites include Iolanthe, with its pink and white bloom, which can grow up to 8 metres high by 3.5 metres wide so is best-suited to a larger garden.Other varieties include the deep red Genie, and the pleasingly purple Cleopatra.
Clareville Nursery and Garden Centre 
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