In many a garden or park you can admire old magnolia trees, some over 100 years old, which, with their gnarled, very wide growth habit, offer a pretty sight even when they are not in bloom. However, magnolias often also grow as bushes or shrubs, but even in this growth form they need a lot of space.
What is a magnolia bush?
A magnolia bush is a growth form of the magnolia, which is botanically a large shrub. Popular magnolia trees with bush-like growth include purple magnolia, star magnolia and summer magnolia. These varieties are characterized by wide, branched trunks and a variety of flowers.
Magnolias often grow as a shrub
Botanically speaking, the magnolia is actually not a tree, but a large shrub. These trees do not form individual trunks that are bare near the ground. Instead, there are several trunks that branch out just above the surface and form foliage and flowers. In principle, however, almost every magnolia bush can be trained into a standard tree or, as a refinement, shaped into a tree right from the start. But whether bush or tree: the same instructions regarding planting and care apply to both growth forms of the magnolia.
Magnolia varieties with bushy growth
Many species of magnolia, especially the purple magnolia, the star magnolia and the summer magnolia, naturally have a rather broad, bush-like habit. Other species, especially the Yulan magnolia and the tulip magnolia, grow more like a tree and can also grow quite tall. However, even magnolia trees usually grow very wide and need space. In the table below we have put together some particularly beautiful magnolia varieties for cultivation as a shrub.
| Variety | Latin name | Variety name | Height | Growth habit | Flower color |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purple Magnolia | Magnolia liliiflora | Nigra | up to approx. 5 meters | wide | dark purple |
| Purple Magnolia | Magnolia liliiflora | Susan | up to approx. 5 meters | wide | purple |
| Summer Magnolia | Magnolia sieboldii | Siebold's Magnolia | up to approx. 4 meters | overhanging | white |
| Star Magnolia | Magnolia loebneri | Leonard Messel | up to approx. 5 meters | upright | pink |
| Star Magnolia | Magnolia loebneri | Merrill | up to approx. 7 meters | wide | white |
| Star Magnolia | Magnolia stellata | Royal Star | up to approx. 3.5 meters | wide | white |
Tips & Tricks
If you only have a small garden orIf you want to cultivate the magnolia in a pot, it is better to use dwarf magnolias. These are often only about one to one and a half meters high (and about the same width), but are in no way inferior to their big sisters when it comes to beauty.
