The magnolia has so much more to offer than the paint colour with which it is associated. The petals range from delicate ivories and pinks to luminous yellows and purples. Many magnolias are heavily fragrant.

Click here to visit our beautiful magnolias gallery.

HOW TO GROW MAGNOLIAS
There is a magnolia to suit almost every garden, from large specimen trees and spring-flowering shrubs to evergreen magnolias, which look beautiful grown against a wall. Deciduous varieties enjoy fertile soil with a pH of between 5.5 and 6.5, and are reasonably problem-free if you avoid frost pockets. Magnolias are normally available to buy as container plants and should be planted in Autumn before the soil becomes too cold, or in spring after the frosts have ended.

WHERE TO SEE MAGNOLIAS
• The Royal Horticultural Society garden at Wisley, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB.
• Borde Hill Garden, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH16 1XP.
• Trewithen Nurseries, Grampound Road, Trewithen, Truro, Cornwall TR2 4BD.
• Bridgemere Garden World, Bridgemere, near Nantwich, Cheshire CW5 7QB.
• Notcutts Garden Centre, Ipswich Road, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 4AF.

Want to see more? Visit our beautiful magnolias gallery.

APRIL 2005
WORDS JACKY HOBBS
PHOTOGRAPHS MICHELLE GARRETT