Magnolia grandiflora 'FERRUGINEA' southern magnolia, bull bay

Ferruginea is a southern magnolia variety with large, 24-26 cm across, creamy white, lotus-like flowers whose fragrance attracts not only bees and other insects, but also most perfume producers and every passer-by, especially in late afternoon and early evening when it releases its rich, sweet and citrus fragrance several meters around. Each flower opens for one or two days only but is followed by another so the whole plant produces flowers from June until September. The older and stronger the plant the more flowers appear in continuity.

Its evergreen leaves are large, too, 15-18 cm long, and 8-10 cm wide. They are leathery, dark green and very glossy, covered with sandy brown, suede-like indumentum underneath which protects them against drying winds. Young leaves have reddish brown hues. It naturally grows into a large, oval to rounded shrub, or it can be trained into a mid-sized tree with a rounded canopy. It needs no pruning to become bushy as it naturally branches evenly, moreover, pruning will remove flower buds which appear at the tips of mature twigs (usually from the previous year). Still if you need to cut for whatever reason do so in April before it emerges (in May).

Southern magnolia is very hungry. It needs acidic, fertile, reasonably drained but not purely sandy soil. Clay in lower parts is beneficial. We strongly suggest using mycorrhizal fungi for its roots, they work miracles especially for large plants whom they help establish without any signs of defect. Now bring your attention to fertilizing, most importantly during its first three or four years after transplanting it needs regular feeding in order to keep all its foliage and to produce flowers freely. Use any sort of fertilizer for ericaceous plants and apply it according to instructions from May until late July. Keep the plant’s roots constantly moist during this period and don’t forget to water it also in winter when the ground is not frozen. Then it will fully establish and will not suffer from summer droughts and will not need extra feeding as its roots will be deep enough to find their own food. Choose only sunny locations, possibly with winter shade that may be welcome in areas with long-lasting winters. Ferruginea has been tested and so far proved hardy to about -25°C (USDA zone 5b-6).

Last update 29-09-2017