In many a garden or park you can admire old magnolia trees, some of which are over 100 years old. With their gnarled, very wide growth habit, they are also a pretty sight when they are not in bloom. However, magnolias often grow as a bush or shrub, but they also need a lot of space in this growth form.
Magnolias often grow as a shrub
From a botanical point of view, the magnolia is actually not a tree, but a large shrub. These trees do not form individual trunks that are bare near the ground. Instead, several trunks appear, which also branch just above the surface and form foliage and flowers. In principle, however, almost every magnolia bush can be trained into a standard or, as a refinement, formed into a tree right from the start. But whether bush or tree: the same instructions regarding planting and care apply to both growth forms of the magnolia.
Magnolia varieties with bushy growth
Many types of magnolia, especially the purple magnolia, the star magnolia and the summer magnolia, naturally have a rather broad, bushy habit. Other species, especially the Yulan magnolia and the tulip magnolia, grow more like a tree and can also be quite tall. However, even magnolia trees usually grow very wide and need space accordingly. In the following table we have put together some particularly beautiful magnolia varieties for cultivation as a shrub.
| variety | Latin name | variety denomination | height | growth habit | flower color |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purple Magnolia | Magnolia liliiflora | Nigra | up to approx. 5 meters | wide | dark crimson |
| Purple Magnolia | Magnolia liliiflora | Suzanne | up to approx. 5 meters | wide | purple |
| Summer Magnolia | Magnolia sieboldii | Siebold's magnolia | up to approx. 4 meters | overhanging | White |
| star magnolia | Magnolia loebneri | Leonard Messel | up to approx. 5 meters | upright | pink |
| star magnolia | Magnolia loebneri | Merrill | up to approx. 7 meters | wide | White |
| star magnolia | Magnolia stellata | Royal Star | up to approx. 3.5 meters | wide | White |
tips and tricks
If you only have a small garden or want to cultivate the magnolia in a bucket, it is better to use dwarf magnolias. These are often only about one to one and a half meters high (and about the same wide), but are in no way inferior to their big sisters in terms of beauty.