Frost-resistant varieties of magnolia in landscape design
Millions of years ago, magnolias grew and bloomed in the territory of the modern Arctic. Since then, the climate has changed dramatically. In the middle latitudes, only the most frost-resistant varieties of magnolias survive.
Everything in the shape of a magnolia speaks of its thermophilic character. Large leaves and spectacular flowers of most species captivate the hearts of gardeners at first glance. It is not surprising that attempts to grow this plant have long been undertaken in both the Old and New Worlds. On the territory of Russia, trees felt like they were in the subtropical zone. At the beginning of the last century, blooming magnolias became a living symbol of the Black Sea Riviera.
In the 70s, work on expanding the natural range and selection of frost-resistant orts of magnolias began in Kiev. The garden established here helped to appreciate the species growing in the Far East, China and the United States. Then choose hardy plants for Moscow, Vladivostok, Urals, St. Petersburg. Thanks to the work of enthusiasts, today you can admire the subtropical culture both in the largest botanical gardens and in the collections of amateur gardeners.
What species, hybrids and varieties can withstand the Russian weather, will not suffer in the middle lane in winter, and will be covered with magnificent flowers in the spring?
Magnolia Siebold (M. sieboldii)
A tree or large shrub up to 6–8 meters in height can be called one of the smallest varieties in the genus of magnolias. The table and branches of the plant are covered with grayish bark. Leaves resembling an ellipse grow up to 10-15 cm in length and are slightly pointed at the top. On the front side, they have a rich green color, which becomes noticeably thicker to the veins. The back of the leaf blades is slightly pubescent.
The magnolia Magnolia sieboldii, named after the naturalist who described it in the middle of the 19th century, is especially attractive because of its large fragrant flowers up to 10 cm in diameter.It appears in late spring or early June. At first, the buds are in the shape of a bowl, then, opening, the corolla of 6-9 petals becomes almost flat. Its middle is decorated with a crown of carmine stamens.
The species immediately appreciated by European lovers of exoticism turned out to be not only very decorative, but also very hardy. Mature trees can withstand cold temperatures down to –39 ° C. This makes the hardy magnolia variety interesting to grow in the middle lane. Today, you can watch the flowering of this species in Vladivostok, in the Northern capital of Russia and other parts of the country. The relatively small size makes it possible to grow magnolia in tubs.
Magnolia pointed (M. acuminata)
Several interesting species of magnolia are native to the North American continent. In the mountainous regions of the central United States, you can see a pointed magnolia with a high crown, reddish bark and elliptical leaves up to 20 cm long.
Unlike the Asiatic species, which bloom before foliage appears, most American plants bloom against a backdrop of greenery. Therefore, the buds and yellow-green flowers that resemble bells do not look so impressive. However, this does not prevent botanists from taking a serious interest in the hardy species that cross well with other magnolias.
Magnolia with red fruits transmits excellent winter hardiness to its descendants from interspecific crossing. And her seedlings serve as rootstocks for more decorative, but less docile relatives. An example of successful hybridization is the Brooklyn magnolia, which is not afraid of frost and decorates the garden with purple flowers, in shape and tone reminiscent of the mother plant - lily magnolia. Russia has a successful experience of growing M. acuminata f. cordata with small flowers of a rich yellow hue.
Due to the similarity of magnolia ovaries to cucumbers in the United States, the plant is often called the cucumber tree. However, the official name for magnolia cucumber refers only to M. acuminata.
Large-leaved magnolia (M. macrophylla)
Large-leaved magnolia grows on the Atlantic coast of the United States. This deciduous perennial lives up to its name. The leaf plates on the branches of 15-18 meter trees reach a length of 80-100 cm. The upper part facing the sun is smooth and painted in green tones, the bluish back of the leaf is covered with a delicate, silky bristle.
In North America, the magnolia of this species is a kind of record holder, since there is no tree with larger leaves on the entire continent.
Flowering is no less impressive. The buds, which are more often formed in the upper part of the crown, open up and turn into huge 30 cm corollas of a milky-white hue. On their inside, you can see a distinctive feature of the species - three purple-violet specks.
The flowering of Magnolia macrophylla lasts up to 45 days, while the tree is enveloped in a sweet-spicy, rather strong aroma.
The trees are able to withstand frosts down to -27 ° C, however, they are used for landscaping only in the south of the country, together with Asian species and spectacular large-flowered magnolia.
Magnolia Kobus (M. kobus)
Many connoisseurs of the genus recognize the magnolia Kobus as the leader in simplicity and cold resistance. Even in the century before last, seedlings of culture came to the United States, and then to Europe. Although the Japanese magnolia could not match the local large-leaved variety for its lush bloom, its hardiness helped it grow on city streets and in cold climates.
The species, native to the Japanese islands and Korea, is today successfully cultivated from the Russian Black Sea coast to St. Petersburg, from Kaliningrad to Samara. In the garden, this magnolia, although inferior to wild specimens, still reaches a height of 10 meters.
The trunk and branches of the kobushi tree, as the tree is called in its homeland, are covered with gray or ash-brownish bark. Leaves up to 12 cm long are green and smooth above, and noticeably lighter below, with a wrinkled grayish surface.
Like many Asian magnolias, the cobus blooms in mid-spring when the branches are bare. This gives the moment a special solemnity and bewitching beauty. Flowers, white, as if sculpted from thin porcelain, consist of six petals and reach 10 cm in diameter. Ripening of yellow-green fruits containing similar seeds occurs in the middle of the calendar autumn.
Magnolia Sulange (M. soulangeana)
The fascination with magnolias, which struck Europe in the middle of the 19th century, caused the emergence of new plants that did not occur in nature. These were hybrids from cross-pollination of specimens growing in parks, greenhouses and botanical gardens. Soulange's pink magnolia is an example of an incredibly happy accident. Received it from the parental pair M. denudata x M. liliflora.
Today the magnolia, the most widespread in the world and irreplaceable in landscape design, is found in the southern regions of Russia, as well as in Primorye. Compared with lily-colored and nude magnolias, the new form turned out to be more decorative and plastic.
Today there are several dozen varieties of sulange magnolia, differing in the shape and color of the flowers.
Trees or shrubs about 5 m high bloom readily and profusely. Corollas up to 15 cm in diameter open on bare branches covered with smooth grayish bark.A distinctive feature of the species is a bright pink, red or purple color on the outside of the petals and almost white on the inside. Flowers are characterized by a delicate, sometimes subtle aroma.
Magnolia Lebner (M. x loebneri)
At the beginning of the last century, another hybrid plant was obtained in Germany, which eventually earned the title of one of the most winter-hardy. Named after its creator Lebner's magnolia, as in the photo, combines the features of its "parents". From the magnolia Kobus, she received winter hardiness and size, incredible for a southern plant. White or pinkish flowers with up to 25 petals are no less spectacular than star magnolia.
The plant is about 7 meters tall and can be grown as a traditional tree or multi-stem shrub. Buds that turn into flowers up to 15 cm in diameter. They densely cover the still bare branches, creating a magnificent, memorable picture.
Magnolia nude (M. denudata)
According to the monastic chronicles of the Tang era, one of the first types of magnolia used to decorate the landscape was a naked magnolia with white fragrant flowers up to 15 cm in diameter.
Externally, deciduous trees or 8-10 meter high shrubs resemble sulange magnolia. This is not surprising, since the Chinese variety is apparently one of the ancestors of the popular hybrid.
The plant is unique in flowering, which begins in early spring, when the leaf buds have not yet woken up, and the brownish shoots remain bare. First, magnolia trees are bare, covered with large buds in silvery fluffy scales. Then they turn into snow-white fragrant flowers, which for many centuries were considered in the Middle Kingdom as a symbol of purity and divine purity.
Flowering plants are in collections in the Far East and in European regions from the North Caucasus to the Black Earth Region.
Magnolia willow (M. salicifolia)
Another magnolia tree grows in Japan with white flowers and the highest degree of hardiness. This is a willow magnolia, beauty not inferior to the previous species, and winter hardiness - cobus magnolia.
The plant owes its name to narrow elliptical leaves about 15 cm long. They appear after flowering, in which the tree is covered with spectacular flowers with a diameter of 12 centimeters. Both greens and magnolia flowers emit a sweet-spicy aroma of anise, which determined the second name of the Anise Magnolia species.
Despite the many advantages, plants are rarely found in collections. The reason is the difficulty of seed reproduction.
Magnolia lily (M. liliflora)
In the gardens of China and other countries of the region, you can find the lily magnolia, so named due to the original shape of the corollas. The plant is actively used for hybridization and decorative forms.
One of them is the most popular in Europe and Russia. This is the magnolia nigra (M. liliflora f. Nigra) shown in the photo with purple flowers. Outside, the color of the petals is dark, inside the corolla looks pink.
Magnolia star (M. stellata)
Fans of gracefully flowering plants will be delighted with the stellate magnolia from Japan. A low-growing magnolia, not exceeding 2-3 meters in height, grows in the form of a small neat tree or shrub. The latter form allows you to assess the mass flowering, which begins before the deployment of foliage and lasts up to three weeks.
Some connoisseurs claim that the star magnolia is a natural dwarf form of another popular species, the cobus magnolia. Their opinion is confirmed by the external similarity of plants. However, the miniature, slow-growing variety is somewhat more afraid of frost. This does not prevent gardeners from growing magnolia in the southern regions, and even in the Moscow region.
Photo of magnolias in landscape design
Beautifully flowering trees dominate any landscape.
At the same time, magnolias look great against the backdrop of urban buildings and rural spaces, in parks where trees coexist with other plants, and in solitary plantings.