2025 seems to be progressing at a fast pace. May is here along with all its activities. With everything going on, don’t forget one important date this month – Mother’s Day is this Sunday. Make sure to celebrate those special moms in your life.
May is when gardens blossom with flowers brought on by those April showers. Southern magnolia trees started blooming a couple of weeks ago. These flowers are what we all envision whenever we hear the word magnolia – dark, glossy green leaves with large ivory white blooms that fill the air with their perfume.
One question I’ve been getting lately about southern magnolias has to do with the appearance of droopy leaves. Many people have been concerned about the trees looking sad despite the blooms. While these trees are evergreen, eventually the older set of leaves will drop off to make way for new leaves to emerge. This typically coincides with the start of flowering. The amount of leave drop can vary from year to year. New growth should start to fill in with the tree looking healthy and full by summer.
Another question I often receive from homeowners has to do with magnolia scale. Magnolia scale is a sucking insect that is covered by a waxy white to yellow shell. Immature scale overwinters on twigs and emerge as crawlers in spring. They will be dark-colored small specks on the branches. The crawler will settle down on twigs and mature into adult females that become larger, brownish-purple, and covered by the waxy coating. Males die after mating, but the females remain to feed on the sap of the tree. In late summer they lay eggs.
If you have had a problem with sooty mold covering your magnolia leaves, scale may be to blame. There are two times during the year to treat scale insects. The first is in winter with horticultural oil sprays to suppress juveniles. These sprays need to cover the entire tree to be effective. Treating large trees can be difficult. The second time to treat for scale is right after flowering is done. Systemic insecticides such as imidacloprid applied as a drench to the roots will be absorbed by the roots and move through the sap of the tree.
Southern magnolias (Magnolia grandilflora) however, aren’t the only late spring/summer blooming magnolias we can plant in our landscapes. There are several other native magnolias that are worth exploring. If you are like me, you will want to add these to your yard.
Sweetbay magnolia (M. virginiana) is a beautiful semi-evergreen flowering tree that is often overlooked and underused in the landscape. Native to the eastern US, these trees mature to a height of around 30 feet with shiny, dark green leaves that have a silvery underside. Flowering occurs from late spring to early summer with creamy white, fragrant, cup-like blooms that are 2 to 3 inches in diameter. The trees are beneficial to wildlife and pollinators. Plant in full sun to partial shade.
Cucumber magnolia (M. acuminate) is a deciduous magnolia native to the eastern US, particularly the Appalachian Mountains, with pockets of them occurring throughout the southeast. These large trees (60-80 feet) have large leaves (6 to 10 inches long) and showy flowers 2-4 inches in diameter. Flowers are slightly fragrant, greenish-yellow, and tulip-like. Leaves have a nice golden color in fall. Plant in full sun to part shade.
Lastly, the saying goes, go big or go home. Well, why not take a bigleaf magnolia (M. macrophylla) home to plant? This tree has the largest leaves and blooms of any magnolia. Leaves can measure up to 3 feet in length and 1 foot wide. Fragrant, creamy white flowers 8 to 14 inches in diameter bloom in the spring. The slow growing tree matures to 30-40 feet. Plant in full sun to part shade.
These native magnolia trees are great additions to the landscape as they support native wildlife and pollinator insects. Mom will also enjoy having one planted in her yard so she can enjoy the flowers every Mother’s Day. Look for these in local nurseries. Cucumber and bigleaf magnolias may be harder to find, but they are out there.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms! I hope you have time to enjoy the beautiful magnolia blossoms this May.
