Saucer Magnolias

Show-stopping Beauty

Saucer magnolias are also referred to as tulip magnolias as their blossoms resemble tulips.

Flowers can reach up to 10 inches.

Jurmagi is a black saucer/tulip magnolia.

Copeland Court Chinese magnolia-Magnolia sprengeri

A stunning pink magnolia cultivar!

Saucer magnolias become broad and often multi-stemmed as they age.

VanDusen Botanical Garden has a large collection of magnolias.

Alexandrina, a saucer magnolia at VanDusen Botanical Gardens.

Alexandrina saucer magnolia

Saucer magnolias are small trees suitable for small gardens.

Flowers resemble stars when they open.

So many huge flowers!

Soft pink flowers look fab against the blue sky.

Immature buds resemble pussy willows.

A saucer magnolia in summer.

Common Name: saucer/tulip magnolia
Botanical Name: Magnolia x soulangeana
Form: broad shrub or small tree
Family: Magnoliaceae
Genus: Magnolia
Species: soulangeana
Plant Type: deciduous tree
Mature Size: 20 to 25 feet tall and wide
Growth: fast
Origin: a hybrid from France
Hardiness Zone: 4 to 9
Foliage: 3”- 6” (8-15 cm) long and half the width, pubescent (hairy) undersides, obovate (wider in the middle), alternate, medium green that turn golden brown in fall
Flowers: March/April, showy, fragrant up to 10” (25 cm) before leaves emerge, goblet shaped, pink with white petals with purple on the outside, many different coloured cultivars available, buds are covered with fuzzy scales and resemble pussy willows
Fruit: cylindrical, aggregate, 4” (10 cm) clusters with large, red shiny seeds that burst out of the capsule in autumn
Stems: smooth, grey bark
Exposure: sun to partial shade
Soil: grows best in moist, rich, well-drained soil
Uses: specimen, small gardens, accent, container, espalier, courtyards
Attracts: birds, butterflies
Invasive Tendencies: not invasive
Propagation: cuttings in spring, fall, and winter.
Pruning: midsummer
Problems: dislikes dry or wet soils, leafspot, canker, honey fungus

Comments:

Nothing is as spectacular as saucer magnolias when they are in flower. Their leafless stems burst with a profusion of huge goblet shaped flowers in March and April. They are stunning!

Saucer magnolias is a hybrid developed by a French plantsman in the 17th century. He crossed Magnolia denudate with M. liliiflora to produce this incredible offspring.

It’s magnificent fragrant flowers consist of 9 tepals (petals that are fused together). Their cupped shaped blossoms are white with tints of pink on the inside, and purple on the outside.

Saucer magnolias not only show off in the spring with all their gorgeous blossoms, their flower buds also resemble pussy willows. Two brown fuzzy scales protect the flowers throughout the winter then drop-off as the flowers open. Their pussy willow buds offer up some winter interest combined with their silver grey bark and broad spreading rounded canopy.

Conditions
Because saucer magnolias flower early in the season, frost might still be an issue. Avoid planting where they will waken too early spring as the flower buds will abort, therefore don’t plant them against the south side of the house. Place them where they are protected from harsh winds that may freeze their fuzzy flower buds.

Saucer magnolias need a moist, rich soil that’s contains plenty of organic matter. They don’t do well in poorly drained soils and ones that are too arid that lack organic matter. A three-inch layer of organic mulch is essential as it keeps the soil moist, fertile and insulates against temperature extremes.

As they grow & pruning
Immature saucer magnolias are slender and upright but as they age, their canopy expands becoming broad, round and spreading. It’s not uncommon for a single trunk to form branches at the base creating a multi-stemmed trunk, leading them to also be grown as large shrubs.

Their branches grow every which way; crossing into the centre of the plant and at crazy angles. This, in a way, adds to their allure, however pruning is often needed to remove errant branches.
Prune immediately after petal drop before the foliage emerges or wait until midsummer. Don’t prune in winter as you will be removing all their flowers.

Cut off branches growing towards the centre of the plant, and ones that rub and cross. Since their growth is very irregular, there will be many odd branches growing every which way, don’t go overboard trying to make it perfect. Only remove ¼ of overall growth, no more. Since they have such an irregular branching habit, learn to love it’s funky look as much as you love their gorgeous flowers.

Cultivars
There are lots of saucer magnolia cultivars and all are beautiful. Flower colours have expanded from white and pink with purple undersides to maroon, yellow, red and magenta.