Magnolia Star Wars

A splendid, long-flowering, repeat-flowering, hybrid magnolia, the parents being M. liliiflora and M. campbellii, Magnolia liliiflora x campbellii Star Wars is a small, fast-growing tree, with a branching, spreading, airy, rather shrubby habit. The long, leathery leaves are deep green with paler undersides, turning yellow-brown in autumn. From March into May the tree makes an unforgettable show on the bare branches of big, waxy, tulip-shaped, rather lotus-like, luminous pink flowers, paler within round a rose-pink base. The plant will sometimes, particularly in wet summers, produce two more, less profuse, displays of deeper pink flowers, sometimes hidden among the leaves. It’s a shallow-rooted plant, so water well in dry spells. Makes a wonderful specimen tree for a smaller garden, or in front of trees in a larger garden. Magnolia Star Wars holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Site: Sheltered
Soil: Well-drained, rich, cool, neutral to acid soil
Position: Full sun or partial shade
Season of interest: Early spring to mid-autumn
Hardiness: Fully hardy
Height: 10’ (3m) Spread: 8’ (2.5m)

Tree Image by Dinkum, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons