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Magnolia × loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’
pink Löbner magnolia
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Image © Richie Steffen/Great Plant Picks |
Printer-friendly Fact Sheet
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| Outstanding Qualities |
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All winter long Magnolia x loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’ is covered with large fuzzy buds full of promise of a sparkling spring show. In early spring the buds open revealing a delicate display of soft pink flowers. The strap-like petals drape over the branch and quiver in the slightest breeze. Once the flowers have passed rich green foliage gives a tidy appearance through the growing season. The small stature makes it an excellent choice for the urban landscape. Easily grown as either a single truck or multiple trunk specimen it adds a natural grace in the garden. The compact scale of the tree make it a good choice for around patios and it combines well with rhododendrons, azaleas and compact shrubs. Under plant with spring bulbs or hellebores to enhance the spring show. |
| Culture |
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Magnolia x loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’ is easy to grow. It flowers best when planted in full sun to partial shade or bright open shade. Good soil is important for this plant. Give it well-drained, fertile, humus-rich soil and regular summer watering. A mulch of well-rotted compost or bark can be applied to conserve soil moisture. Garden gently under magnolias, for they have fleshy roots that can easily be damaged. Little pruning is required other than removing dead and broken limbs or rubbing and crossing branches. Pruning is best done after flowering. Too much pruning can cause suckers that spoil the natural beauty of this plant. |
| Growing Habit |
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This is an excellent deciduous small tree. Magnolia x loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’ is vigorous in youth, but its rate of growth slows after five to seven years. It gradually develops an overall shape that is rounded to slightly pyramidal, with a dense twiggy branching structure. This winter outline is attractive and can easily be spoiled by pruning, provide this tree with ample room to grow and fully develop. A ten-year-old plant reaches 12 to 15 feet tall and 7 to 10 feet wide. Mature specimens can reach up to 20 feet tall with time, spreading to about 15 to 18 feet. |
| Hardiness |
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USDA zones 5 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