Magnolia sprengeri Pink Beauty

The Magnolia sprengeri (denudata) Pink Beauty is a recent variety. This vigorous bush has a fairly quick growth and a relatively compact habit which allow it to be trained as a small tree and to be cultivated in a large pot. Its large spring flowers have an unusual shape that somewhat recalls that of certain camellias: they are flat at full bloom, of a candy pink, centred on a heart of stamens of a deeper pink. This variety, like many Magnolias, prefers sunny exposures, as well as cool, fertile, preferably non-limestone soil.

The Magnolia Pink Beauty belongs to the family of Magnoliaceae. This variety is derived from the Magolia sprengeri, a very hardy Chinese species yet not very common in our gardens. It is a deciduous, ramified bush with a rounded habit, 5 m (16 ft 5 in) high and 4 m (13 ft 1 in) wide at maturity when cultivated in the open ground, keeping more modest proportions in pots. It has a short trunk covered with grey bark supporting a wide and airy crown, supported by curved and ascending branches. The flowering is quite long, on subjects aged 10 to 15 years. In the spring, in April-May, more or less early depending on the regions, before the appearance of the leaves, the villous floral buds morph into cup-shaped flowers. They bloom widely into corollas of at least 15 cm (5.9 in) consisting of quite thin, pointed, tepals (similar petals and sepals) of a thick texture. The fresh and tender pink of the flowers opens onto a large cluster of purple-pink stamens. The deciduous leaves are entire and ovate, with undulate margins, 15 to 18 cm (5.9 to 7.1 in) long. After pollination, the flowers produce a cluster of brown fruits welded together, each containing a red-pink seed.

Plant the Magnolia Pink Beauty to highlight it: in isolation, near a walkway or visible from a window to enjoy its wonderful flowering. Cultivation in a large pot on the terrace is also possible. It will work wonders in isolation on a lawn, but also in a mixed bed or a free hedge with viburnums (Viburnum odoratissimum), privets (Ligustrum japonicum), large Rhododendrons or Camellias. It can provide a backdrop for small forest plants, and will be enhanced by a backdrop of dark evergreens. In this use, it will provide excellent perches for songbirds, further enhancing its exotic charm.