Magnolia X soulangiana, Saucer Magnolia (also sometimes called the Tuliptree but this gets confused with Tulip Poplar so we will call it Saucer Magnolia) is a deciduous magnolia. This magnolia blooms beautifully in the early spring before new leaves appear. The Saucer Magnolia is March's Plant of the Month at the Wilson Display Garden which is located at 1806 S. Goldsboro Street.

The flowers are usually pink to purple although new cultivars have yellow or white blooms. Flowers can be 5 to 10 inches across. Sometimes the flowers persist until the new leaves emerge so you can have flowers with the leaves. A 2-3 year old plant flowers so this makes the tree a welcomed one in most gardens. A disappointment happens every three or four years, a late freeze will kill the flower buds so be prepared for some years not to have flowers.

Saucer Magnolias grow from 20 to 30 feet in height with a variable spread. The plant grows 10 to 15 feet over a 10 year period. They are distinctly upright and are often grown as a multi-stemmed shrub. At maturity, this plant is a wide- spreading, low-branching tree with a pyramidal to rounded outline.

The bark of the tree is a handsome gray and usually smooth. Sapsuckers (a bird like a woodpecker) will cause a circle ring damage to the bark but usually not enough to harm the tree's life.

The leaves are medium to deep green in the summer and sometimes will have an attractive yellow-brown fall display.

Plant magnolias either from a container or as balled and burlapped plant. They have a fleshy root system and should not be moved once planted, if can be helped. Saucer Magnolias prefer a moist organic soil, preferably acid (like azaleas prefer) and in full sun. Do not plant too deep. This plant is very hardy from Zones 4 to 9. Prune immediately after flowering. Try to plant in a warm area of the yard to avoid buds being killed by a late frost. Saucer Magnolias seem to be able to withstand air pollution and does well in urban settings.

This tree can be affected by black mildews, leaf blight, leaf spots, dieback, canker, scab, wood decay, algal spot, and scales. With a list of problems that long you may wonder if this is a plant you really want in your garden. I never have experienced any of these problems except scales. There were so few scales that I put a glove on and squashed them verse using a pesticide. One way to detect scales is ants on your plants. Ants are attracted to the sugars that the scales excrete. There are numerous cultivars with differences in flower colors, winter hardiness, and heights.

Come a visit the garden, beautiful things are happening!

Date Created: 12/05/00.