‘Kay Parris’ Southern Magnolia

Screen of Southern Magnolia

Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) is one of nature’s magnificent landscape trees (USDA hardiness zones 6-9).  This reliable large tree, native to the Southern U.S., is at home in well-drained clay soils and hot summers. The species typically grows to 60-80 feet tall with a pyramidal (young) to a rounded crown (mature tree). It is not uncommon to see the species growing in Boston, New York City and other major urban centers.

Short, more compact, cultivars are available for smaller landscapes (see below). Southern magnolias are cherished for their attractive dark green evergreen foliage and showy fragrant flowers. Large 5 to 6 inch pure white goblet shaped flowers appear sporadically from mid-spring thru late-summer. Trees shed older leaves in spring as new ones emerge.

Southern magnolia thrives in a moist, humus-rich, mildly acidic soil and in full sun. Young trees are shade tolerant, but do not flower as well, and will require more sunlight as it ages. Roots are shallow and spread widely into lawn areas. Trees tolerate short intervals in wet soggy soils without injury. Once established, within a two year span, select cultivars are highly tolerant of long dry summer spells. On occasion boughs get weighed down and snap off under heavy snow and ice loads.

Leading compact cultivars:

‘Kay Parris’ – this beautiful compact form has caught the eye of both professional landscapers and gardeners. It has extremely glossy, bright green leaves with dark red russet fuzzy underneath, and long flowering season.

‘Hasse’- grows 35-45 feet high and 18-20 feet wide after 30 years. Young trees exhibit tight narrow branching, glossy dark green leaves, and dusty red underneath.

‘Alta’ is a sister seedling of ‘Hasse’ and has a definitive columnar form. Alta is more slow growing to 20 feet tall and 9 feet wide in 10 years. Branches hold their upright “stovepipe” form for many years. Dark green glossy leaves are rusty underneath.

‘Little Gem’ is an old and very popular cultivar. It can be trained into compact tree but grows naturally shrub-like to 30 to 35 feet height. Glossy green leaves are bronze-brown underneath.