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The saucer magnolia is the magnolia of front gardens: a wide-spreading deciduous tree or large shrub that covers its bare branches in mid-spring with goblet-shaped flowers up to 25cm across, white inside and flushed pink to purple outside. It is a hybrid raised in France in the 1820s from two Chinese species. The flowers open before and with the young leaves, which then form a dense canopy of large, dark green ovals. It is hardy, long-lived and needs almost no pruning, but it becomes as wide as it is tall, so it needs room.
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As a precaution, keep it out of reach of children and pets.
Do not dig or plant under it. Magnolias have thick, fleshy roots that lie close to the surface and are easily damaged, and a tree with broken roots sulks for years. Keep the ground beneath it undisturbed, mulch it each spring and plant bulbs or ground cover only while the tree is young.
Frost. The buds and open flowers are damaged by a late frost, especially when morning sun thaws them quickly. The tree itself is unharmed and flowers again next year. Plant it in a spot sheltered from cold winds and out of frost pockets, ideally not facing east.
A saucer magnolia bought from a nursery is grown from cuttings or grafts and usually flowers within two to three years of planting, often while still under a metre tall.
As little as possible, and only between midsummer and early autumn. Cuts made in winter or spring bleed sap and heal slowly. Remove dead, damaged or crossing branches, and never shorten all the shoots, which spoils the shape and triggers a thicket of upright growth.
The soil is too alkaline, so the tree cannot take up iron. Magnolias want neutral to acid soil. Mulch with composted bark or leaf mould, water with rainwater in dry spells and apply a feed for acid-loving plants.
It is risky. The fleshy roots break easily and regrow slowly. If it has to move, do it in spring as growth begins, with as large a root ball as possible, and water it through the following two summers.
Only for a few years. It grows into a broad tree and resents root restriction. For a pot or a small garden, the star magnolia, Magnolia stellata, is a better choice.
The tree may still be settling in, it may be in too much shade, or the buds were lost to frost or summer drought. Flower buds form in late summer, so water in dry spells at that time.
