Magnolias appear bare under their crown area and after they have bloomed they are not particularly eye-catching. Underplanting can help. It can also ensure that the soil stays cool and moist – the desire of every magnolia.
Which plants are suitable for underplanting magnolias?
The most suitable plants for underplanting magnolias areshade-tolerantas well asundemandingperennials, early bloomers, ground covers and trees that areflatin the soilroots. Fit in easily:
- Foam blossom or cyclamen
- Snowdrop or lily of the valley
- Small periwinkle or ivy
- Hydrangeas or azaleas
Planting magnolias with perennials
When planting under perennials, you should remember that magnolias are shallow-rooted and their roots extend over a wide area. Therefore, only use very shallow-rooted perennials for underplanting. It is also important that the perennials toleratepartum shade to shadeand are no competitors for the magnoliain terms of nutrients and water. The following are ideal:
- Foam Blossom
- Wild garlic
- Storksbill
- Deadnettle
- Aquilegia
- Funkia
- Cyclamen
Planting magnolias with early bloomers
When the last early bloomers are still present, the magnolia flowers appear. If you choose cleverly, you can create a wonderful composition of flower colors if you plant a magnolia withearly bloomers that bloom at the same time. But specimens that have already bloomed are also visually valuable for the lower area of the magnolia. Basically, the following early bloomers are ideal for underplanting:
- Lily of the valley
- Daffodils
- Tulips
- Hyacinths
- Winterlings
- Crocuses
- Snowdrops
- Märzenbecher
Planting magnolias with ground cover plants
In particular, smaller magnolias such as the star magnolia or the tulip magnolia look great with ground cover plants. The ground cover plants generally tolerate the roots of magnolias well. They in turn cover andshade the soil, which means that the evaporation of water occurs more slowly in summer. The magnolias areless stressed if they are planted with the right ground cover, because the low and densely growing plants can act like natural ice packs.
- woman's coat
- Small Periwinkle
- Ivy
- wood anemones
Planting magnolias with trees
Woods can look great in combination with magnolia. However, it is best not to place themdirectly on the tree disc, but rather on the edge. There the roots of Magnolia are less pronounced and the trees can gain a foothold more easily. Large magnolias such as umbrella magnolias, evergreen magnolias and cucumber magnolias are ideal for planting under trees. Among the trees, original forest dwellers are particularly suitable for magnolias. Popular for underplanting are:
- hydrangeas
- Rhododendron
- Azaleas
- Camellias
- Dogwood
Tip
Protective mulch layer as a low-risk alternative
Has your magnolia been in its location for a long time? Then underplanting can be risky and digging a planting hole can cause injury to the magnolia's roots. Here you have the alternative of providing the magnolia with a protective layer of mulch instead of underplanting.
