Plant of the Month February 2012

Magnolia “Stellata” Or “Star” Magnolia

A Southern favorite for its creamy white 3”-5” early spring blooms. “Star” is deciduous, which offers an opportunity for an unobstructed view of the flowers because the leaves have not yet returned when this Magnolia’s buds open. The flowers are unique to the Magnolia family being more divided and fringe like than the traditional cupped Magnolia flower.

The “Star” is a slow growing shrubby shape, but may be pruned up as it ages to be a multi stemmed small tree shape.

   Because the Magnolias flowers begin opening so early, there is the chance that if we get a late frost that the flowers may be damaged. That’s the risk you take to have your spring flower show start before other spring shrubs have even thought about blooming.

A few things to consider when choosing a place to plant your “Star” Magnolia:

•     Will there be people often walking through this area?
•     Will cars be able to drive over the roots?
•     Will you be often digging in the area under this Magnolia?

Magnolias have a shallow fleshy root system which is more easily damaged than other plants and will need to be where there is no kind of traffic on the roots.  Magnolias do not do well having their roots disturbed through digging either. So don’t plant veggies or annuals in their root zone.

Other considerations:

• How much room do I have for a Star Magnolia to grow?
• Does water stand in this area often?

While “Star” is slower growing, it is going to be about 10’ tall and 20’ wide in time, so plan accordingly. As with most Magnolias the “Star” will drown if its roots are water logged. Make sure you have good drainage by adding soil conditioner to clay soil.

Care

 “Star”, like most Magnolias, is very susceptible to salt damage from over fertilizing resulting in burned edges to the leaves.

Pruning: If “Star” needs to be pruned, do so after the blooms have expired if you wait until late in summer or fall you will risk cutting off the blooms for the following spring.

Deciduous Magnolias are slow to heal, so minimize pruning when necessary. We suggest pruning to correct shape or to remove lower limbs from trunk as tree/shrub gains height you will also need to remove any branches that are crossed and rubbing together. When you need to prune, it is best to remove the entire limb or twig to its base for the branch or twig.

Uses:

“Star” Magnolia can be used at the corner of a foundation as you might see a medium to large Crape Myrtle or a pyramidal Holly used.

Near a woods edge is an awesome way to bring a dull line of trees to life in early spring! Add them to a natural area in combination with smaller evergreen shrubs for a traffic stopping show.

1^st  Thing is sun availability, different plants need different sun. If you have a shady area don’t plan on planting Roses and Black Eyed Susans and expect them to do much. But Gardenias and Junkus may be just the thing.

2^nd  Is the size of bed. Now this is a garden with a purpose, if you can’t reach the plant to cut the flowers with out stepping all on other plants, then it’s not a successful adventure! About 2 feet wide works if you have backed this bed up to another natural area, but if this bed is going to be an island 4 feet is about as wide as you can go without having to step all in the bed. Unless of course you intend to have paths through your bed.

3^rd Get that soil ready! No good soil equals No happy plants! Most perennial plants are happy when you till the bed up adding organic matter, bone meal, and fertilizer, possibly lime. The best way to know what you need is to have a soil sample done through the Alamance County Agriculture Extension, this is a free service.

4^th Selecting Plants: Don’t be overwhelmed by the choices out there of plants to choose from.  Many plants are suitable for cut flower gardens, however some are not. Plants with longer stems fit better in a vase, so look for longer stemmed varieties of your favorite plants. Remember that longer stemmed flowers may need some assistance to remain vertical.

 Some plants just don’t seem to last when cut and placed in a vase, below are some plants we consider worthwhile to plant for cut flowers.  You may want to use a combination of perennials and annuals for variety. Do not rule out using cuttings from trees and shrubs in your vase arrangements too!

Remember most perennials only bloom for a few weeks out of the year, where as annuals tend to bloom from spring to frost.

Perennials:

Peony is one of the best cut flower plants. With its long stems and large full blooms, not to mention the delicious perfume of the flowers. Peonies come in many colors and styles of flowers. This plant has lovely leaves to actually.

Gomphrena with its usually purple ball shaped blooms that stand up on individual stems.

Iris these thrive in almost any sun and come in countless color combinations.

Rudbeckia, or Black Eyed Susans provide lasting county looking yellow daisies with a rich brown center, these bloom in fall.

Junkus a grass like plant some having curly blades is an awesome addition to any vase! Likes moist conditions and some sun protection at the hot part of the day.

Some other plants include Lisastrus, Hissop, Lavender, Rosemary, Bee Balm, Gaura, Penstemon, and Asclepia to name just a few.

Annuals:

Sunflowers are a fun one. When you plant them wait 2 weeks, then plant some more, 2 weeks them plant more to have a continuously fresh harvest of blooms.

Try these too: Snap dragons, Zinna or either variety of Celosia.

A couple shrubs that are awesome added to a vase include: Butterfly Bush, Camellia, Gardenia, Hydrangea, Roses, Harry Lauders Walking Stick, and Ninebark.

5^th Placement of plants in bed: Now this can get tricky, but start with placing taller plants in the back of the bed so you will not have to reach over them to get to the shorter plants. Remember to give each plant room enough to grow or you will not get all you can out of each plant, and you might end up with a tangled mess!

6^th mulch that bed! Mulch helps prevent weeds, no weeds is a GOOD thing right? A thin layer of smaller pieces of mulch works better around annuals, but near perennials and shrubs pine or hardwood a few inches thick works fine, being sure not to pile it up around the base of the plants.

Now you wait for the show to start! There are a few things you might not know when it comes time to cut your lovely flowers and bring them in. Use sharp pruners or scissors! Very important, dull pruners can result in crushed stems that will cause your flower to not be able to bring water up the stem through the damaged veins.  Also remember to cut the stems on an angle to expose more of the veins to the water. When filling the vase with water, make the water warm rather than cold. O.K last thing, use floral preservatives if you have them. These contain sugar to help the buds mature and open, a biocides, to kill bacteria, fungus and yeast. These also contain acidifiers to help the stems draw water up.

If you don’t have this, don’t fret, just keep your vase clean, dumping and refilling if the water gets stinky.

Enjoy!