Magicla magnolias: Add an exotic touch to the spring garden with the tried-and-true and the new

摘要

Magnolias. Their very name conjures up images of southern belles in hoop skirts, languidly sipping mint juleps in the shade. And yet these trees and shrubs are not as exotic as they seem. Many varieties can be grown in Canada, some even in Zone 4. The most popular types, such as saucer and star magnolia cultivars, are justly prized for their showy, fragrant flowers that open in early spring (at about the same time as forsythia and early narcissus) before their leaves emerge. Though a late frost can n ip their flowers in the bud, in a good year their blooms will last for two to three weeks before dropping. To extend the period of bloom even further, plant May-blooming magnolia varieties, such as lily magnolia (Magnolia liliifloia) or the spectacular y ellow-flowered 'Elizabeth' or 'Yellow Bird'.