Some magnolias grow well insmall-space landscapes, while others demand large yards to reach their full potential.
Whatever your heart desires, find the best types of magnolia for your yard with this guide.
The 10- to 12-inch-widewhite flowersbloom in summer.
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The flowers are followed by brown fruits with bright red seeds.
These varieties reach a mature size of 30 feet tall.
Growing Conditions:Part shade and moist, well-drained soil.
Credit:Mary Carolyn Pindar
It toleratesclay soilbut does not grow well in wet or swampy areas.
If southern magnolia is too large for your landscape, sweet bay magnolia might be a good fit.
In warm climates, this spring-flowering tree is evergreen; in cold climates, it often sheds its leaves.
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Unlike other magnolias, it thrives in moist and boggy soil.
Plant it in low spots and wet sites in the landscape.
Growing Conditions:Full sun to part shade and consistently moist-to-wet soil.
Credit: David Speer
It tolerates boggy soil.
Its prominent fuzzy buds add interest in winter and are popular forcut arrangements.
Saucer magnolia (Magnoliaxsoulangeana)is a great shade tree for small landscapes.
Credit: Janet Mesic-Mackie
Growing Conditions:Full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil.
It grows best in consistently moist soil.
Star magnolia (Magnolia stellata)is covered with white orpink blossomsin early spring before the plants leaves emerge.
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A slow-growing deciduous shrub or multi-stemmed tree, star magnolia works well for small landscapes.
Use it in a mixed shrub border or add it near a patio.
Thismagnolia rarely needs pruning.
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Royal Star is an excellent variety with double, snow-white flowers.
Growing Conditions:Full sun and moist, rich soil.
It is adaptable to a variety of conditions.
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It has many-petalled flowers like star magnolia with a more robust, tree-like habit.
Use Loebner magnolia as a medium-sized tree in the landscape.
This deciduous magnolia blooms a couple of weeks later than the star magnoliamidspring in many areas.
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Grow Merrill for its fragrant flowers.
Leonard Messel (shown here) is a pink-flowering variety.
It casts dense shade and rarely needs pruning.
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The 12- to 32-inch-long leaves are up to 12 inches wide.
Bigleaf magnolia(Magnolia macrophylla)flowers are extra large too.
Each fragrant flower is 8 to 12 inches wide.
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The trees are slow to bloom; they’re usually 12 to 15 years old before they will flower.
It is covered with lily-shaped flowers in spring before the leaves emerge.
The flowers have a white interior and a purple-pink exterior.
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Growing Conditions:Full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil.
Kobus magnolia blooms in early spring before the new leaves emerge.
The 4-inch-wide, white or pink flowers are lightly fragrant.
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The tree drops its 4- to 8-inch-long leaves in fall.
Wadas Memory is a popular variety with black-green leaves and large flowers.
Count on it to grow 30 to 40 feet tall and wide and have a rounded outline.
It is a multi-trunk tree with smooth bark and pendulous branches.
Plant it near a patio or walkway where you might enjoy its attributes year-round.
Lemon-scented, 6-inch-wide flowers decorate the trees bare branches in spring.
Its creamy white flowers emit a lovely fragrance similar to a mix of jasmine and citrus in early summer.
Their fragrance is a heady mix of lemon and anise.
But even when it’s not flowering, it’s a striking little tree with elegant willow-like leaves.
Its spring show of white flowers is followed by non-edible pink fruit in the fall.
Yes, but there’s a caveat.
Most magnolia trees don’t have striking fall foliage, but there are a few exceptions.
