April, 1907 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



149 



against a house and are great favorites for 

 specimen planting in front yards. They are 

 more splendid, however, in large masses. 

 Of the eight American species, none blooms 

 before the leaves. 



The only species with starry flowers are 

 M. stellata and Kobus, all other magnolias 

 having cup-shaped blossoms. 



M. stellata is the first of all magnolias to 

 blossom, being usually a week earlier than 

 M. Yulan. It is more or less bushy, while 

 the other starry-flowered species assumes 

 tree form in its native country. M. stellata 

 is one of the loveliest early-flowering shrubs. 

 Its numerous white petals radiate like a 

 star, flutter in the breeze and are deliriously 

 fragrant. The whole bush is covered with 

 flowers and begins to bloom when only two 

 feet high. It was introduced from Japan 

 some thirty years ago by Dr. Hall, after 

 whom it is often called M. Halliana. It 

 is very hard} 



M. Kobus, a handsome pyramidal tree, 

 is one of the best for lawn specimens, being 

 attractive throughout the season, but it is 

 slow to come into bloom. Mr. F. W. 

 Barclay says that a three-foot tree planted 

 in 1897 showed no bloom in 1906, though 

 eighteen feet high. However, it is worth 

 waiting for. 



The most famous magnolias are the hy- 

 brids, of which the type is M. Soulangeana. 

 These derive the pink or purple color on the 

 outside of their petals from M. obovata, 

 which is the darkest of all, rather tender 



speciosa nova, spectabilis, superba, and trium- 

 phans. 



I believe that Mr. Miller was too hard upon 

 M. obovata in his article. It is neither so 

 uninteresting nor so tender as he says. The 



THE BLOOMING AND FRUITING OF HARDY MAGNOLIAS AT DOSORIS 



Com 



mon names 



Starry 



Large white Chinese . . . 



Soulange's 



Lenne's 



Purple 



Japanese Lacquer Tree 



Ear-leaved 



Large-leaved Cucumber 



Tree 



Watson's 



Sweet bay 



Bull bav 



Standard names 



M. stellata 

 M. Yulan . 

 M. Soulangt 

 M. Lennet . 

 M. obovata 

 M. hypoleuc 

 M. Frasen . 



M. macrophylla 

 M. Watsoni . . . 

 M. glauca . . . . 

 M. grandiflora . 



Time of flowering 



Began 



Ended 



April 5th . 

 April 1 2th 

 April 20th 

 May 1st . . 

 May 3d . . 

 May 10th . 

 May 18th. 



May 20th . 

 May 25th. 

 May 25th. 

 May 28th. 



May 2d . 

 April 30th 

 May 15th 

 May 1 8 th 

 May 22d 

 End June 

 End June 



End June 

 End June 

 July 1 5th 

 End July 



Size of 

 flowers 

 (inches) 



3 to 4 



4 to 6 

 4 to 6 



3 t0 5 

 3.... 



4 to 6 

 4 to 6 



8 to 10 



3 to 4. 

 2 to 3. 



4 to 5 . 



Leaves 

 appeared 



Fruit 



April 20th 

 April 28 th 

 May 2d . 

 May 10th 

 May 15th 

 May 5th . 

 May 8th. 



May 1 2th 

 May 1 2th 

 May 18th 

 May 18th 



Inconspicuous 

 Inconspicuous 

 Inconspicuous 



Cone rounded, scarlet 

 Cone pointed, vivid red 



Cone round, rose 



Height 

 (feet) 



and not very profuse of bloom. All other 

 magnolias have white petals. The hybrids 

 get their hardiness, tree-like habit and free- 

 dom of bloom from M . Yulan, which is the 

 best white magnolia that blooms before the 

 leaves. The only hybrids in the Dana collec- 

 tion are M. Alexandrina, grandis, Lennei, 

 nigra, Soulangeana and speciosa. Others 

 are cyathiformis, Norbertiana, rustica rubra, 



petals are long, narrow, rather pointed and 

 of a deep, rosy purple color. 



II. Blooming after the Leaves 



These species are not so popular as the 

 preceding, probably because they are later 

 and not so completely covered with flowers. 

 The blossoms are sometimes more or less 

 hidden by the foliage. 



' v 









The whole tree covered with flowers six inches across on May 5th. M. cAlexandrina, a hybrid with lighter-colored flowers than M. Soulangeana 



