Magnolia grandiflora ferruginea

A small broad leaved evergreen tree growing up to 8m in height. It flowers much later in the year than its deciduous relatives. ‘Ferruginea’ is a cultivar, distinguished from the type by the vulpine, velvety red indumentum on the underside of its huge leaves.

And what leaves! We’ll get to the flowers in a minute but the foliage on this magnolia is magical. Just on the right side of ostentatiously-large, the scale and profusion of its gleaming leaves are outstanding. They have a lustre which is heightened all the more by the tawny contrast of their undersides. We love them when the wind blows and the two tones dance.

On to the flowers: as we mentioned, this one blooms in the summertime with large, fragrant white blooms appearing from late June onwards. As a specimen tree planted into a large lawn it is hard to beat and hard to miss. And when the petals begin to fall the scattering of ivory across the grass is very romantic.

This magnolia can also be grown as a wall shrub or planted into a large area of shrubbery for its architectural form and big texture. Better still, plant it to enjoy as a free-standing tree like we suggested. It could reach 6-7 metres in this country but it can be pruned and kept smaller if you like.

Likes a position in sun to partial shade, and will be happy on all soils including chalk

N.B. When clipping several plants with the same tool, have a bucket containing a 5% bleach solution and swish your blades around for 30 seconds between plants to sterilise them. This will help avoid the chance of cross contamination of disease.

As with all woody plants, plant high, exposing as much of the taper at the base of the trunk as possible. Allowing soil to accumulate round the base of a tree can be fatal. Keep very well watered when first planted.