Plant Encyclopedia

Description:

This highly regarded magnolia features enormous cup-shaped and fragrant deep pink flowers in early spring, upright spreading habit of growth; an ideal feature in the average home landscape, flowers are sensitive to late spring frosts

Ornamental Features

Alexandrina Saucer Magnolia is smothered in stunning fragrant purple cup-shaped flowers with white overtones held atop the branches in early spring before the leaves. It has dark green deciduous foliage. The large pointy leaves turn coppery-bronze in fall.

Landscape Attributes

Alexandrina Saucer Magnolia is a multi-stemmed deciduous tree with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other landscape plants with finer foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Alexandrina Saucer Magnolia is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent

Planting & Growing

Alexandrina Saucer Magnolia will grow to be about 30 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 30 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 5 feet from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 80 years or more.

This tree does best in full sun to partial shade. It requires an evenly moist well-drained soil for optimal growth, but will die in standing water. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.