Read a commented profile of the tulip magnolia here with information on growth, flowering, leaves and winter hardiness. The best tips for buying, planting and caring for Magnolia × soulangeana.
What is a tulip magnolia?
The tulip magnolia (Magnolia × soulangeana) is a sprawling shrub or small tree with a height of 4-8 m and a spread of 5-9 m. It is characterized by its bell-shaped, tulip-like flowers in white-pink tones, which appear in April and May. This magnolia has a high ornamental value and is ideal for displaying alone in the garden.
Profile
- Scientific name: Magnolia × soulangeana
- Family: Magnolia family (Magnoliaceae)
- Growth type: shrub, small tree
- Growth: sprawling, loose-upright
- Growth height: 400 cm to 800 cm
- Growth width: 500 cm to 900 cm
- Flower: bell-shaped, tulip-shaped
- Flowering time: April and May
- Leaf: summer green
- Fruit: Gathering Skin Fruit
- Winter hardiness: sensitive to late frost
- Use: Single position
Growth
The Tulip Magnolia is a phenomenal cross between Purple Magnolia (Magnolia liliiflora) and Yulan Magnolia (Magnolia denudata). At the Royal Horticultural Institute of Fromont in France at the beginning of the 19th century. The triumph of the hybrid began in the 19th century. Today Magnolia × soulangeana is one of the most popular, most planted magnolia species in Central Europe. These key growth data explain why this is the case:
- Growth form: large, sprawling shrub or short-stemmed, broad-crowned tree with exuberant flowers.
- Height: 4 m to 6 m, rarely up to 8 m.
- Growth width: 5 m to 7 m, rarely up to 9 m.
- Bark: initially brown and smooth, later grey-brown and cracked.
- Growth speed: 20 cm to 30 cm per year.
- Roots: Shallow roots
A tulip magnolia becomes more beautiful every year. The hybrid reaches its peak of splendor between the ages of 30 and 50.
Bloom
The tulip magnolia owes its auspicious name to the shapely flowers. The hosts of striking individual flowers are responsible for the fairy-tale splendor of the spring bloomers. These characteristics characterize a magnolia flower:
- Flowering time: April and May (grafted varieties from March to June)
- Special feature: Bud formation in the previous year, thick flower buds unfold before the leaves emerge.
- Flower shape: bell-shaped to tulip-shaped.
- Flower size: 10 cm to 15 cm.
- Flower color: white base color, pink to purple tinged, red stamens.
- Position: single, terminal, upright.
- Fertilization: native beetles
The original species Magnolia soulangeana takes up to 10 years before it presents its first flowers. Grafted varieties produce their first flowers a few years earlier.
Video: Fairytale flower dream - tulip magnolia in the middle of bloom
leaves
Following the flowering period, the leaves arrive as an ornamental component for the rest of the garden season. You can recognize a magnolia leaf by these characteristics:
- Leaf shape: short-stemmed, oval, obovate with smooth leaf edge.
- Leaf size: 12 cm to 20 cm long, 4 cm to 6 cm wide.
- Leaf color: fresh green, light green underneath, yellowish-brown in autumn.
- Arrangement: alternate
Fruits
A pollinated magnolia flower develops into a cone-shaped follicle fruit. This pink-red cob grows up to 10 centimeters long. Ripe follicles burst open and release a red seed. This seed dangles for some time on the long seed thread from the open follicle. For a tulip magnolia in the garden, however, it is the rule that the fruit clusters fall off prematurely when they are immature, green, due to a lack of fertilization of the flowers.
Winter hardiness
When it comes to the winter hardiness of a tulip magnolia, weal and woe are closely related. The hybrid has inherited a robust winter hardiness of up to -25° Celsius from its two parent plants. However, due to the early flowering period, the swelling buds and open flowers are susceptible to late frosts. Furthermore, the shallow roots can suffer from frost damage in the first five years after planting in rough locations.
Planting tulip magnolia
Informed hobby gardeners decide to buy a tulip magnolia for good reason. Compared to other flowering plants, vegetatively propagated magnolias have a very difficult time growing and blooming in the garden. Sowing seeds usually ends in bitter disappointment because undesirable characteristics emerge in the seedlings. Where and how to plant a tulip magnolia correctly, read here:
Buy tulip magnolia
Nursery and garden centers offer tulip magnolias in various qualities and heights. The spectrum extends from inexpensive container plants to bushes with wire balls that have been transplanted several times to the fully trained tulip magnolia tree. The following table will serve as a guide when purchasing the perfect magnolia for your garden:
| Shrub (container plant) | Price | Shrub (wire bale) | Price | Tree (trunk 2 m) | Trunk circumference | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 cm to 30 cm | from 6.05 EUR | 150 cm to 175 cm | from 423, 50 EUR | 200 cm to 300 cm | 8 cm to 10 cm | from 699, 99 EUR |
| 40 cm to 60 cm | from 22.99 EUR | 200 cm to 250 cm | from 699, 99 EUR | 200 cm to 300 cm | 18 cm to 20 cm | from 1,699, 99 EUR |
| 80 cm to 100 cm | from 58, 95 EUR | 250 cm to 300 cm | from 1,649, 50 EUR | 300 to 400 cm | 14 cm to 16 cm | from 1,264, 50 EUR |
| 125 cm to 150 cm | from 153.99 EUR | 300 cm to 350 cm | from 1700.00 EUR | 300 to 400 cm | 18 cm to 20 cm | from 1,990, 50 EUR |
Location
In this location a tulip magnolia develops the optimum of its flowers:
- Sunny to semi-shady location.
- Important: individual position protected from the wind with a house wall or hedge in the floral back.
- Acid garden soil, fresh, moist, humic and loose and permeable.
A magnolia prefers to extend its long, flat roots into ericaceous and rhododendron soil.
Planting Tips
The best time to plant magnolias is in spring, when late frosts are no longer expected. This way the shallow roots have enough time to establish themselves well until the first winter. If you miss this date, you can plant container plants in the ground all year round. Read helpful planting tips in brief here:
- The planting pit is twice as big as the root ball.
- The excavated material is mixed half with rhododendron soil or leaf compost.
- A water-soaked root ball can grow better.
- The tulip magnolia is planted just as deep as before in the nursery.
- A support pole protects the shrub from windthrow.
- The earth is pressed down to ensure a good soil seal and slurried in with rainwater.
Drought stress and late frosts are the most common causes when magnolias do not grow. For this reason, mulch the tree disc or plant ground cover for acidic garden soil, such as common heather (Calluna), heather (Erica) or cranberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea).
Excursus
Tulip Magnolia Tulip Tree Differences
Serious differences characterize the growth of two popular magnolia plants. A tulip magnolia (Magnolia soulangiana) grows as a sprawling shrub with pink-white flowers in April and May. The Asian flowering tree is sensitive to frost, non-toxic and sheds its oval leaves without any noticeable autumn color. The tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) grows up to 35 meters high and 20 meters wide, is hardy, poisonous and comes from North America. The large, yellow flowers bloom in May and June, followed by a golden yellow autumn color of the lobed leaves.
Take care of tulip magnolia
The tulip magnolia is very easy to care for. A regular supply of water and nutrients, occasional pruning and simple winter protection ensure the beauty of the flowers. The following care tips explain what is really important:
Pouring
- Water tulip magnolia in dry conditions after a previous finger test.
- Rule of thumb: It is better to water thoroughly twice a week than in small amounts every day.
- Suitable irrigation water: collected rainwater or tap water that has been stale for several days.
Fertilize
- In March and June, fertilize with 3 liters of acidic leaf compost and 100 grams of horn shavings.
- Just pour in the organic fertilizer and do not rake it in to protect the shallow roots.
- Alternatively, administer a liquid ericaceous bed fertilizer (€8.00 on Amazon) according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Cutting
Because caring for magnolias is a bit tricky, we have dedicated a detailed tutorial to this topic, which you can read here. For quick readers, here is the short version:
- Basic rule: Pruning cannot improve the blooms and branching of a tulip magnolia.
- Reason for a cut: Slimming down the shrub or treetop.
- Pruning date: immediately after the flowering period, before bud formation for the next blossom.
- Pruning guide: cut excessively long and dead branches onto Astring.
Please wear gloves when caring for the cut. The bark and wood of a tulip magnolia contain the alkaloid magnoflorine. This weak poison can cause annoying skin irritation in sensitive people.
Wintering
The limited winter hardiness of a tulip magnolia has already been discussed in this commented profile. As a reminder, the most important aspects in Telegram style:
- Winter protection for the shallow-rooted plant: mulch the root disk or plant with ground cover in the first five years.
- Winter protection for the flowers: every spring when late frosts are forecast, put a winter fleece over the shrub or tree.
Popular varieties
The first hybrid Magnolia soulangeana laid the foundation for these beautiful magnolia varieties in 1820:
- Alexandrina: historical premium variety boasts white flowers with red iridescent flowers at the base, growth height up to 800 cm.
- Lennei: impresses with purple bell flowers and pink-white inside, growth height up to 600 cm.
- Genie: New Zealand variety with 15 cm large, dark red flowers and robust winter hardiness, growth height up to 500 cm.
- Lennei Alba: refined tulip magnolia with bright white bell-shaped flowers, growth height up to 600 cm.
- Pink Beauty: compact noble variety with double, pastel pink flowers from March to June, height and width up to 400 cm.
FAQ
Is the tulip magnolia poisonous?
Yes, the tulip magnolia is classified as slightly poisonous. The reason for this is the alkaloid magnoflorin, which is primarily contained in the bark and wood. Contact with human skin can cause symptoms of poisoning, such as itching, redness and blistering.
When is the best time to plant a tulip magnolia?
The ideal time window for planting in the garden is open twice a year. In spring, please wait for the last late frosts before planting a tulip magnolia. Planting is also possible in early autumn, but not immediately before the first severe frost.
Does the standard trunk of the tulip magnolia tree grow even higher?
No, the trunk height of a tulip magnolia can no longer be changed. This applies equally to a 2 m standard trunk and an 80 cm trunk. However, a magnolia tree can gain height over the years due to the growth of the crown.
