The Southern Magnolia is famous for its huge (up to a foot wide) fragrant waxy-white flowers, as well as its large, leathery glossy-green leaves, and it is a stately tree with a bold presence. Unfortunately, the most common Southern Magnolias in landscapes (and all of the really old trees) are seedlings, which eventually can grow quite large (to 60’) and are unpredictable in bloom. Much better are the numerous grafted varieties, which bloom reliably even when young and have been selected for larger flowers, better foliage, more compact habit, and climate tolerance. These grafted varieties now allow gardeners to choose small, medium, or large types of trees with uniform qualities, all of which bloom heavily even when young. The Southern Magnolia likes full sun, lots of water, and deep, rich soils. In dry and/or heavy soils, it usually fails. In the minds of some, it does have its drawbacks, in the sense that it has fairly shallow roots and drops some of its large leaves and also woody seed pods throughout the year. Deep watering will encourage a deeper root system, and if you plant this tree in a lawn, you’ll just have to rake a few leaves once in a while. If planted as a street tree, it’s best to use a root barrier to encourage deep rooting.

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