Over the holiday, I decided to take my love of magnolias to the next level and joined the Magnolia Society International. The society is a wonderful place where like-minded magnoliaphiles can share information, plant materials, and love and admiration for this great group of plants.
My affection for these flowering trees stems from many places, but perhaps the most significant contributor to me becoming a magnoliaphile is the beautiful southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), which has become something of a signature tree in Newport in recent times.
With the successful cultivation of hardy varieties such as ‘Edith Bogue’, ‘D.D. Blanchard’, and ‘Bracken’s Brown Beauty’, wonderful specimens make themselves at home throughout Newport, providing year-round beauty to their beholders. Glossy, lustrous evergreen foliage with fuzzy orange-brown indumentum on the undersides is the staple of the plant, sticking out boldly in the January landscape. Fragrant flowers dot the plants in the early summer, developing into curious aggregates that release ruby red seeds in the late autumn. An eye-catching plant that looks as lovely as it does out of place, adding some needed tropical flair to this coastal city.
