- Magnificent Flowers Bloom Late in Spring to Avoid Spring Frosts
- Fragrant, Purple-Red Flowers Open with White Interior
- Huge Spring Floral Display, Sporadic Blooms in Summer
- Great Size and Shape for Modern Yards
- Use as Shrub or Small Tree
- Dense Foliage Gives Beautiful Privacy
- Low Maintenance
- Moderately Fast Growing
- Pest & Disease Resistant
- Some Tolerance to Drought
- Little to No Pruning Needed
- Deer Seem to Leave This Plant Alone
What a great plant for modern home owners! Ann Magnolia (Magnolia x Ann’) is one of our customer favorites, and it’s easy to see why. This Magnolia is low maintenance, perfect for the smaller yard or garden, and will fit practically any landscape.
Ann is a really nice Magnolia selection that deserves a prominent location in your yard. Let it become the focal point of your backyard, protect you from prying eyes in a side yard or make a big, beautiful statement in the front yard.
Use it as a dense, deciduous shrub for pretty privacy. Or, train it into a small tree to use near your patio or front door. There really is no wrong way to use this plant in today’s smaller lots.
You’ll appreciate the lovely, fragrant spring flowers that bloom a couple of weeks later than other Magnolias. While late spring cold snaps may damage some flower buds of early spring bloomers, Ann give you an extra window of forgiveness.
It’s well worth the wait! Ann’s blossoms are huge, fuchsia, and goblet-shaped. They start as beautiful, tapered buds that resemble tulips on every single branch tip. The buds quickly grow 7 to 9 inches long and open to reveal a tender white. The deep flower color of the petals contrast beautifully to the white insides of the bloom.
Ann’s flowers develop just prior to the leaves emerging, so they are incredibly showy and eye-catching. If the weather remains cool during the bloom the flowers will last much longer. The flower display is phenomenal, so be sure to site this where you can see it from indoors.
Then, just when you think it has completed it show for the summer, Ann may still surprise you with a repeat bloom in mid-summer. Keep your eyes open and sneak one or two in your summer bouquets as a special treat.
Ann Magnolia shrub is a member of the ‘Little Girl’ series of Magnolias, and a popular choice of both novice and expert gardeners. This improved variety was developed at the National Arboretum by expert horticulturists.
It’s a vigorous and hardy shrub that won’t require a lot of your time in return for the brilliant displays it produces. It has no significant disease or insect problems. You can even prune these into small tree-form flowering trees for higher impact in the landscape!
Leathery green foliage is an added bonus that maintains an attractive sight for your landscape even when the Ann Magnolia is not in bloom.
Ann Magnolia grows naturally beautiful without shaping as a dense, shrubby, upright plant that grows more rounded as the plant matures. Or, keep it smaller with an annual pruning to maintain the desired size and shape.
How to Use Ann Magnolia in the Landscape
Ann’s wonderful flower display and dense shrubby growth habit make it an excellent specimen or anchor for the corner of your home. The lush look easily softens up the corner of your garage to ease the transitions from front to side yard.
Ann belongs where you can see, appreciate and smell the blooms. Why not use it near the front door to add major style points and curb appeal? Underplant it with red, purple and white spring-flowering bulbs to coordinate with the blooms.
We love the idea of planting it as a specimen plant anywhere you’ll be able to study and smell the blooms in spring. Try it by the patio furniture, or near your back door.
Ann also provides an easy, elegant solution for privacy screening. You won’t feel like you live in a fortress, but rather, you’ll block eyesores with an easy charm.
Remember, specimen plants aren’t just for the front yard, but what about that focal point in the backyard, too? Use a single specimen near the patio to screen out the adjacent neighbors.
Or do a bit more screening to hide an ugly garage or unsightly view by using 3 or 5 plants in a group. Plant Ann Magnolia 5 – 6 feet apart on center. Measure from the center of one plant to the center of the next.
It won’t take long at all for the branches to touch and create an excellent informal, untrimmed hedge. Much better!
Add Ann Magnolia across the back of your perennial or mixed shrub borders. The mid-toned, large, green leaves will be a beautiful backdrop to other perennials, groundcovers and smaller shrubs.
This great little Magnolia can be used to face an evergreen windbreak or screen. You’ll soften the look, and the evergreens will really set off the massive flower display.
Tips for Care
Use care when siting your new Ann Magnolia. They won’t like to be moved once they get their roots settled in your native soil. Hardy USDA hardiness zones 4-8, hybrid Magnolias developed with significant cold and heat endurance.
Give cold hardy Ann Magnolia a spot in full sun for the best flowering. If you live somewhere with hot summers, she does appreciate partial shade in the afternoon. Add a thick layer of mulch over the root system to protect it.
It really prefers moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil. But Ann is no diva. She is quite adaptable to other soil conditions. Cover the top of the root ball with NatureHills.com Root Booster, and cover the soil over the root zone with mulch.
Young plants require a medium amount of even, uniform watering for the first season as they grow their roots to get established in your landscape. Older plants can tolerate a bit of occasional drought. Be sure to provide supplemental water during extended dry spells.
Ann can be left to grow naturally. Pruning is typically not needed. If you need to remove damaged branches, or want to shape the tree, prune after the flowers finish in spring.
