Southern Magnolia
Magnolia grandiflora
Family Magnoliaceae
Southern magnolia is the South distilled into a tree: glossy evergreen leaves backed in bronze felt, and foot-wide cream blooms whose lemon perfume drifts across a whole yard on a warm evening. Cultivars now run from thirty-foot 'Little Gem' scale to eighty-foot landmarks.
Birds shelter and feed in it year-round, it's safe around pets, and Bracken's Brown Beauty pushed the species into zone 6, so this is no longer only a Deep South luxury. If you have the room, few trees confer more presence. Plant it with ambitions.
Full Sun to Light Shade
Moderate water
Slow-Moderate growth
Native to North America
From the print shop
Growing southern magnolia? Hang it.
Our Plant Library collection carries southern magnolia — Magnolia grandiflora, print Nº 443, “Southern Magnolia.”
526 designsfrom $12.99white or black backgroundmatte poster, unframed
Will it thrive where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what southern magnolia actually needs.
Hardy inZones 6-10Southern Magnolia · Common problems
Common southern magnolia problems
Southern Magnolia · Growing & propagation
Growing southern magnolia
- Light
- Full Sun to Light Shade
- Water
- Moderate
Established trees handle drought
Soil- Rich, acid, drained · pH 5.0 - 6.5
Fertilizer- Spring feed young trees
Pruning- After flowering, minimally
Let lower limbs sweep the ground (self-mulching skirt hides the leaf drop); limbing it up creates a lifetime of raking.
Spacing- 20-30 ft
How to plant & propagate southern magnolia
- Propagate
- Seed (stratify), cuttings, or layering
Southern Magnolia · Calculators & field guides
A little help in the garden.
Southern Magnolia · Yearly calendar
The southern magnolia year, month by month
Jan
No calendar activity is listed for this month.
BloomBloomMay to July
What each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
Southern Magnolia · Ecology & uses
Ecology & uses
Magnolia grandiflora
Southern Magnolia in the garden system
- Canopy layer tree
Attracts- Birds
- Moisture
- Facultative / average
Deer- Browsed
Protect young plants
- Origin
- Native to North America
What southern magnolia is grown for
✓ Not known to be toxic
Use- Evergreen grandeur
- Use
- Fragrance
- Use
- Southern identity
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
Southern Magnolia · Varieties & cultivars
Choosing a southern magnolia variety
'Little Gem' (12-20 ft, blooms young — the modern pick); 'Bracken's Brown Beauty' (z6-hardy); 'D.D. Blanchard'
Sources & plant identity
Know what you’re growing.
See where the knowledge comes from.
Southern Magnolia
Magnolia grandiflora
The plant, at a glance.
- Botanical name
- Magnolia grandiflora
- Plant family
- Magnoliaceae
- Growth habit
- Tree · Perennial
- Origin
- Native to North America
- USDA plant symbol
- MAGR4
- Invasive risk
- Low
Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.
Rooted in research.
University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.
for Southern Magnolia
Research from these sources
Publisher marks identify sources, not sponsorship or endorsement.
Questions
Southern Magnolia questions, answered straight.
Is southern magnolia safe for kids and pets?
Southern Magnolia is commonly eaten and isn't considered toxic, but "commonly eaten" isn't a guarantee for any particular person or animal — allergies, quantity, and which part you eat all matter. Never eat a plant you haven't positively identified, and check with a vet before letting pets or livestock graze anything new.
How do you propagate southern magnolia?
Seed (stratify), cuttings, or layering.
Elsewhere
Where southern magnolia sits in the library.
River Birch
Ginkgo
Colorado Blue Spruce
Weeping Willow