Magnolia: exotic, warm, south. The name of this plant is capable of causing these associations in the first place. It would be a mistake to call it a flower, it is rather a tree or a shrub. Magnolia is one of the oldest plants on earth, over 140 million years old.
Garden decoration
The shrub is extraordinarily beautiful - large leathery shiny leaves, branchy branches - in themselves are a worthy decoration for every garden. At the time of flowering, which falls in April - May, it is generally impossible to take your eyes off it. Huge flowers adorn every twig of the shrub. This is a kind of "aristocrat" in the plant world: widely known and loved by everyone. But the secret of its cultivation is not available to every gardener.
Breeding
Although the plant is southern, but with some care it lives quite comfortably in mid-latitude conditions. A gardener who decides to decorate his garden with a magnolia bush must take into account all the whims of a capricious beauty. She does not tolerate neighborhood with anyone, her branches need space and light.
Magnolia does not like excessive anxiety, so it is better not to loosen the soil around the tree. But fertilization with peat or compost is delightful. The beauty also drinks a lot, so it is necessary to regularly water it abundantly. Timely it is worth helping her get rid of all that is superfluous: it is better to just cut off dried branches and not fallen leaves. That is, perhaps, all that concerns leaving.
Magnolia species
The most persistent magnolia species is the cobus. Best suited for a novice gardener: unpretentious in care, propagates both by seeds and seedlings. The tree grows up to 5 meters tall. Blooms from mid-April to May 15-20.
The willow magnolia is also widespread. It resembles a cone in shape, and the flowers have bell-shaped white. Produces a persistent, strong anise aroma.
The naked magnolia is considered to be the most beautiful. The shrub itself is in the form of a bowl, the flowers are white, slightly creamy, they are larger than those of other species.
The world of magnolias is quite rich and diverse - there are more than 80 species in total. Deciduous species are characteristic of temperate latitudes, and evergreens are found in conditions of southern latitudes. If we talk about the size, then there is also a fairly wide range - from 2 to 30 meters in height there are trees and shrubs.
All types of magnolias have large flowers - up to 25 centimeters in diameter, differ in rich colors: white, pink, purple, violet, cream. Some flowers are odorless, others smell very strong. There are also those that, despite external beauty, emit an unpleasant, even fetid odor.
It is widely believed that magnolia is very fancy, whimsical, and hard to take root. This is far from the truth, because this plant, like any other living creature, simply needs love, care and minimal care.
