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Magnolia wilsonii
Wilson’s magnolia
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Image © Great Plant Picks
Image © Al Dodson (www.aldodson.com) |
Printer-friendly Fact Sheet
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| Outstanding Qualities |
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Magnolia wilsonii is a shade-tolerant, broad-spreading, multistemmed tree. Its elegant, nodding, bell-shaped flowers are sparingly produced at the ends of silken, leafy branches in late spring. Each fragrant flower is composed of nine pure white petals (more correctly called tepals) surrounding a showy central ring of rose-red staminodes. The nodding to fully pendent blooms are best enjoyed from beneath the canopy of this tree. The silvery undersides of the leaves and pure white flowers play well off of the dark purple twigs and dark blackish brown bark. This treasure was named after the famous plant explorer Ernest Wilson, who discovered it in western China in 1904. |
| Culture |
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This delicate beauty grows best in a sheltered site in partial to bright shade. Strong winds and full sun can damage the foliage. The best growth is in well-drained, fertile, humus-rich soil with regular summer watering. Little pruning is required other than removing dead or damaged branches. The naturally graceful form can easily be ruined with excessive pruning. Garden gently under magnolias, for they have fleshy roots that can easily be damaged. The best approach for companions plants is to tuck in natural spreaders and let them flourish untouched. If you can site it where you can see up into its canopy, the beauty of the blossoms will captivate passersby. |
| Growing Habit |
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Magnolia wilsonii develops into a multi-stemmed tree with a broad, vase-like shape. This deciduous tree can reach 25 to 30 feet tall with a similar spread at maturity, but it will only be about 15 feet and almost as wide in ten years. |
| Hardiness |
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USDA zones 7 to 9 |
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© 2009 Elisabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden
Funded by the Pendleton and Elisabeth Carey Miller Charitable Foundation
Administered by the Elisabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden