Magnolia 'Genie'

Perfect for today's smaller gardens, this spectacular Magnolia delights with a long spring-to-summer season of blooms, then frequently repeats in midsummer! More than a decade in the breeding, 'Genie' lives up to its name with almost magical color, fragrance, and form.

The blooms begin as striking blackish-red buds, help upright and very prominent on this well-branched little tree. They open into tulip-shaped blooms of dark maroon with reflexed tips of lighter magenta. Subtly scented with a sweet, rich aroma, they are indescribable in the vase, and stand out in the spring garden like beacons in the night.

The first and much the heaviest flush of blooms begins in early spring in most climates, and can persist all the way to the first weeks of spring. The second wave, when it occurs, usually appears in midsummer, long after you expect anything! It's a welcome little bow of rich color!

'Genie' was bred from cultivars of M. soulangeana and M. lilliflora by New Zealand plantsman Vance Hooper. The color of these blooms remains far more stable than that of others, another merit on this very meritorious tree!

Expect 'Genie' to reach about 10 to 13 feet high and perhaps 5 feet wide. A good size for a front-yard specimen, it also plays well in the border. Best in full sun and rich, well-drained soil. Zones 5-9.