I wish I could share the heady, sweet, warm and complex scent of these voluptuous magnolias: sadly all I have is memories and photos. If you’ve inhaled their perfume in the past, try drawing on your scent memory as you look at the pictures – it works at least a little for me!
Here in Northern England, their flowers are often browned by late frosts, but more I have chance to travel in the Southern States of America, the more attached I grow to magnolias. No wonder that when Mississippi’s state flower was chosen by schoolchildren, over half plumped for these glorious flowering trees.
Magnolia grandiflora, the giant evergreen with big, white blooms, is the one most closely associated with the South, but I think I like the deciduous magnolias most of all – their flowers look so unearthly dancing on bare branches with their faces lifted up to the sun.
A couple of links
The Magnolia Society has 600 members in 32 countries – visit their website for advice on selecting and caring for magnolias or check them out on Facebook for many more pictures of magnolias.
Susan Rushton 
‘Yellow Lantern’ is a stunner but I dearly love the fragrance of banana shrub (Michelia figo).
The banana shrub’s flowers are so tiny you’d never expect them to pack quite such a punch!
So stunning!
Beautiful photography! My children love Grandiflora for it’s low lying branches, which make it a perfect climbing tree.
The Grumpy Gardener says the trunks can be really dirty and make children who play in them look like they’ve been mining coal!
Yes! Lesson learned years ago on Easter dress. Alas, did not deter the tree monkey!
I like this variety of them!
I hope to have somewhere to plant one soon.
Some of them look as if they need quite a big space!
Not one of them then. Will do my research first.
Their perfume is heaven scent ..
Recently left the South and will miss the fragrance of magnolias.
At least they do grow in many other places – it will always bring back fond memories whenever you smell them.