Magnolias owe their name to Charles Linnaeus, who baptized them in honor of the French botanist Pierre Magnol, director of the botanical garden in Montpellier. They naturally occur in the northern hemisphere, where they grow in two places: in the Atlantic part of North America and in the Far East - in China, Japan and the Philippines. In Poland, the first mentions of the cultivation of magnolia come from the beginning of the 19th century, from the catalogs of the Warsaw Botanical Garden. Count Stanisław Wodzicki brought about 14 species to his famous arboretum in Niedźwiedz in the years 1818-1833. Currently, magnolias are cultivated quite commonly in Poland, because their nursery production has developed on a fairly large scale.The pride of magnolias are their beautiful, original flowers that appear already in early spring, and in some species also in summer. The flowers are single, placed on the tops of the shoots, they have 6 petals arranged in 3 whorls, 2 interdisciplinary. The petals are called tepalas. They are characterized by a we alth of colors, fragrances and shapes. Thanks to a phenomenon called petalodyia, the number of petals can be larger, and additional petals develop from stamens embedded in the lower part of the flower. On this basis, it is believed that magnolias in terms of ancestral development are very old plants, because they grew on the earth nearly 100 million years ago. And they actually exist in the same form to this day. The genus magnolia includes about 80 species of trees and shrubs, which are represented by numerous varieties. In Poland, numerous species and varieties are cultivated in gardens, which are created thanks to breeding, giving various hybrids and varieties.
JAPANESE MAGNOLIAoccurs naturally in Japan and South Korea., where it grows up to 25 m. In Poland, it forms trees up to 10 m, with a low set, widely spreading crown. It has white flowers with pink stripes on the outside, weakly fragrant, composed of 6-9 petals, which develop in April / May before the leaves develop. Leaves are obovate, 5-15 cm long, shortly pointed at the apex. The northern variety 'Borealis' is in cultivation, which grows stronger and has a more compact habit. It is considered the most frost-resistant in Europe. Propagated by sowing seeds, blooms after 10-15 years. Seedlings are used as rootstocks for grafting other magnolia species.
STAR MAGNOLIAnaturally occurs in Japan. Forms branched shrubs or small trees, 2-4 m high. Young shoots are covered with hairs, and when damaged they smell intensively of resin. Flowers with a diameter of 8 cm are made of 12-33 petals, which are initially widely spaced in a star shape, and then bend backwards.Blooms profusely in March and April. Plants obtained from seeds bloom later. Unfortunately, flower buds and flowers are quite often damaged by spring frosts. Due to its small size, it is suitable for growing in small gardens.
MAGNOLIA LOEBNERAis a hybrid of Japanese and star magnolia. It creates small trees or tall shrubs with a pyramidal crown. It has white or pale pink flowers, 11-16 petals.
EARLY MAGNOLIAoccurs in its natural state in Japan, where it grows in the mountains at an altitude of 600-1000 m above sea level. It forms trees 10 m high with a compact, conical crown. The leaves are lanceolate to narrowly elliptical, and the flowers are composed of 6, sometimes 9, petals developing in April together with the leaves. Late spring frosts quite often damage its flowers.
MAGNOLIA SOULANGE'awas created as a result of a spontaneous crossing of naked magnolia with purple magnolia.It has very large flowers, initially cup-shaped and later widening. They are made of 9 petals white inside and pink to purple outside. In Poland, it creates large shrubs 4 m high or trees 10-12 m. Many old specimens have survived in the west of the country that winter well.
VARIETIES OF AMERICAN CULTIVATIONappeared in nursery production in the 90s of the last century. They were created as a result of crossing the purple magnolia 'Nigra' with the star magnolia 'Rosea'. They are characterized by bushy growth and reach a height of 2-3 m and a width of 3 m. They are suitable for growing in small gardens.
HOW AND WHERE TO PLANT MAGNOLIES?
We plant them in sunny, warm and sheltered positions. They look nice when planted individually in exposed, representative places, because they look phenomenal during flowering. Other groups of trees and shrubs can be used as windbreaks for magnolias.Magnolias should be planted in fertile, humus, deep, well-drained, acidic soil. Before planting, it is good to add high peat and compost to the soil with the addition of mineral fertilizers. Other materials can also be used, but only those that do not deacidify the soil. Magnolias do not like compact and wet soils.
If we want to plant a magnolia tree, choose plants produced in containers. Then we can plant them from April to the end of summer so that the plants can take root well before the onset of frost. We plant the bushes as deep as they grew in the container, covering the roots with loose soil. Before planting, do not loosen the root system, and do not press too hard after planting. Finally, water the plant. Note - young magnolias must be watered by the end of July.
HOW TO CARE FOR MAGNOLIA BUSHES?
Magnolias form a shallow root system, therefore the soil under them is not dug, but mulched, preferably with pine bark, oak and beech leaves, pine needles or high peat.This is very important because the mulch protects the soil against drying out and temperature fluctuations. Magnolias should be fed from the end of March to the end of June with compound fertilizers. Slow-release fertilizers, preferably four-month-old, calcium-free, are also good. We do not prune magnolia because this treatment is detrimental to them, contributing to the weakening of flowering. Only sick or withered shoots or branches are cut out.
Protection against freezing involves covering the soil with mulch or branches of conifers 30-40 cm thick, because the roots are particularly sensitive to freezing. In young specimens, the above-ground part should be protected with covers for several consecutive winters - straw or non-woven mulch, or conifer branches.
