Welcome to Wairere Nursery's

Weekly Feature

First and foremost - HAPPY SPRING!!! And before launching into our feature on Magnolias, just a quick reminder that it is time to feed your roses with an inorganic fertiliser that will provide the nutrients your roses need for optimum growth and flowering. If they don't get fed, they don't perform. Simple!

And a quick newsflash! We have new stock of those fabulous Double Hellebores in white and dusty pink. They were so popular, and sold out so quickly, that we decided to get more.

Feature: Magnificent Magnolias

Simply Magnificent! This time of year has a special appeal - of all the amazing spring things that are currently leaping up, the Magnolias must take pride of place. The blooms are so impressive and breathtaking, with large, waxy petals bursting through the silky buds which form in the early winter and remain tightly closed until the weather warms up. And then suddenly, the buds burst into full bloom and it looks a bit like the tree is having a wedding!

Magnolias are a very ancient genus with fossilized remains showing their presence on earth even before the honey bee arrived! As a result of this you will find that Magnolias are usually pollinated by some form of beetle. The genus was not actually called Magnolia until the 17th century when they were named after a tres French professor of Botany called Pierre Magnol. Deciduous Magnolias are from Asia and evergreen Magnolias are mostly from America.  

These days a strong influence on the development of the genus comes from New Zealand. The Jury family from Taranaki and Oswald Blumhardt from Northland have raised many highly desirable hybrids and introduced them to the world. If you want to plant a New Zealand bred deciduous Magnolia look for such delights as "Athene", "Atlas", "Iolanthe", "Vulcan" and "Star Wars" to name just a few.  

Once you have chosen a Magnolia consider carefully where you will plant it as this is one tree that must have the correct planting position as they resent being moved. Choose a sunny position away from strong cold winds. Magnolias can tolerate frost; however a late frost in spring could damage the emerging flower buds.   Magnolias need space to grow to really show off their beauty. Little pruning should be required other than to maintain a pleasing shape.  

The soil must be free-draining and if possible rich with organic matter. As with many trees with fibrous roots, Magnolias don't like their surface roots getting too hot so they will thank you for a nice layer of mulch applied just before summer. They are acid lovers, so a side dressing of acid fertilizer applied in early spring will also keep them happy.

Now sit back and wait for spring when the bare branches of deciduous Magnolias will be covered with beautiful large goblets with a delicate but tantalizing perfume. The colour choice ranges from crisp white, softest to deepest pink, ruby red, wine red and warm yellow.  

Evergreen Magnolias have large scented cream flowers that appear in summer and autumn. In contrast to the above they are far more tolerant of wind and can cope with more moisture in the soil. The large dark green glossy foliage with velvety russet under-felt, coupled with the beautiful, huge waxy cream flowers with a fresh fruity fragrance create a superb pecimen tree.

Magnolias should not be overlooked in any planting scheme; I certainly would not consider creating a garden without them.  

Here are some descriptions of the main species to tantalise your green fingers.

Magnolia campbellii

Magnolia campbellii and its cultivars are amongst the earliest to flower. M .c. 'Charles Raffill' is a delicate pink, while M. c. 'Lanarth' is more cerise.

From the New Zealand raised hybrids, choose:

• 'Star Wars' - massive pink blooms
• 'Iolanthe' - soft-pink blooms, paler inside, which face outwards and are 25-30cm across
• 'Atlas' - flushed pink, the blooms reaching 30cm across
• 'Vulcan' - intense reddish-purple large flowers
• 'Apollo' - a rich rose with the insides pink
• 'Felix Jury' huge soft pink flowers

All the above form medium-sized trees and flower from a young age.

Magnolia denudata

• 'Lennei' is purplish pink outside and paler inside,
• 'Lennei Alba' is pure white,
• 'Rustica Rubra' is rose red outside and pink and white inside, and
• 'San Jose' is maroon-pink outside, fading to a dusky pink.

M. liliflora

A large shrub that carries lovely, narrow chalice-shaped blooms on bare wood in early spring, M. liliflora continues to flower intermittently through the summer. Almost wider than it is high M. liliflora needs space, so infill with perennial and other plants that can be moved elsewhere as the magnolia matures. Amongst the loveliest is the dark maroon M. liliflora 'Susan' .

M. stellata

The star magnolia, M. stellata, is deservedly popular and has given us some lovely small magnolias that will fit into even the tiniest garden. Becoming a tall shrub, the many branches will carry hundreds of starry flowers in early spring. You can choose from ‘Leonard Messel', 'King Rose', 'Royal Star', and 'Rosea'.

Browse through the Magnolias we have in stock by clicking here.

Happy Gardening!

Love

Lloyd and Harry