Plant: Moonglow - Sweetbay Magnolia
Sweetbay Magnolia · Magnolia virginiana 'Jim Wilson'
Size: 15 gal
Light
Bloom
Mature size
More about this plant
Sweetbay magnolia is a native semi evergreen tree or large multi stemmed shrub of the eastern United States, generally 10 to 35 feet tall and about as wide. Its leaves are glossy dark green above with chalky silver white undersides that flash in the wind. Solitary creamy white cup shaped flowers 2 to 3 inches across with 9 to 12 waxy petals open from spring into summer, are strongly fragrant, and appear sporadically until frost. Aggregate follicles split in fall to show bright red seeds that birds and small mammals eat. It wants an acid, organically rich soil and tolerates occasionally wet ground, which suits it to rain gardens and low woodland edges. The Moonglow selection is noted for cold hardiness and larger flowers.
- Full Sun
- Grows to 35 ft tall and 35 ft wide
- Blooms in spring, summer
- Hardy in USDA zones 5-10
- Semi-Evergreen foliage
- Native plant
Plant description
Sweetbay magnolia is a native semi evergreen tree or large multi stemmed shrub of the eastern United States, generally 10 to 35 feet tall and about as wide. Its leaves are glossy dark green above with chalky silver white undersides that flash in the wind. Solitary creamy white cup shaped flowers 2 to 3 inches across with 9 to 12 waxy petals open from spring into summer, are strongly fragrant, and appear sporadically until frost. Aggregate follicles split in fall to show bright red seeds that birds and small mammals eat. It wants an acid, organically rich soil and tolerates occasionally wet ground, which suits it to rain gardens and low woodland edges. The Moonglow selection is noted for cold hardiness and larger flowers.
- Flowers
- Solitary, waxy, creamy white cup shaped flowers 2 to 3 inches across with 9 to 12 petals, opening in the afternoon and closing at night for two or three days, from spring into summer and sporadically until frost.
- Foliage
- Leaves are shiny and dark green on the upper surface with chalky silver white undersides, 3 to 6 inches long and 1 to 3 inches wide.
- Native range
- Eastern United States to Texas and Cuba
