Among the magnolia trees native to North America, there aren’t many (any?) that are reliably hardy to zone 4. I first saw this tree growing at Cady’s Falls and was encouraged to gather the fleshy seeds emerging from the cone. That was six years ago and one of those first seedlings is now nearly 7 ft tall in our garden. Since then I have been gathering seeds every fall and increasing our stock. M. tripetela is native to the southeast US from Georgia to Pennsylvania and west to Missouri. Though it has never naturalized much up into the northeast it is perfectly hardy. The common name umbrella magnolia is a reference to the massive leaves up to 24 inches long clustered at the tops of the stems. It flowers early summer with strappy white flowers and an unpleasant odor. The cones that form through the summer start red/orange and fade as the seeds ripen. Planting fresh seeds makes a big difference. Can reach to 30 ft tall and wide. Grows fast once established.
We have a few 4 year old trees to offer this year and more 2 year olds in deep 3” sleeves. An affordable option.
Among the magnolia trees native to North America, there aren’t many (any?) that are reliably hardy to zone 4. I first saw this tree growing at Cady’s Falls and was encouraged to gather the fleshy seeds emerging from the cone. That was six years ago and one of those first seedlings is now nearly 7 ft tall in our garden. Since then I have been gathering seeds every fall and increasing our stock. M. tripetela is native to the southeast US from Georgia to Pennsylvania and west to Missouri. Though it has never naturalized much up into the northeast it is perfectly hardy. The common name umbrella magnolia is a reference to the massive leaves up to 24 inches long clustered at the tops of the stems. It flowers early summer with strappy white flowers and an unpleasant odor. The cones that form through the summer start red/orange and fade as the seeds ripen. Planting fresh seeds makes a big difference. Can reach to 30 ft tall and wide. Grows fast once established.
We have a few 4 year old trees to offer this year and more 2 year olds in deep 3” sleeves. An affordable option.
This tree is often described as an understory tree in its native range but here in the cooler northeast it seems to do fine in full sun and becomes overall a nicer tree.
