Magnolia stellata is one of my favorite winter blooming shrubs. Often flowers of the Star Magnolia are burned from the frosts of Winter, turning the beautiful white blossoms brown before they can be enjoyed. But not this year! Winter frosts were so few that I enjoyed many blooms on our little shrub this time.
I wish we could claim this magnolia as a Georgia native, because it grows so well here and is a favorite of Southern gardeners, but Star Magnolia is native to Japan.
Blooms are large and showy flowers that open in late Winter here in Georgia, before the shrub leafs out. Blossoms come in pink or white. The flowers are sweetly fragrant and more noticeable when the shrub is in full bloom.
Magnolias grow in sun or shade and prefer well-drained soil with regular water. Magnolia stellata needs regular water, especially during hot summer when grown in full sun.
Even if you live no where near Georgia, you can still grow this beautiful shrub, since Magnolia stellata is hardy in USDA Zones 4-9.
Star Magnolia is a slow grower, but in good conditions it will grow up to 15 feet tall and about 10 feet wide. It can be allowed to grow in its own bushy form, or you can limb it up into a small tree.
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