Magnolia sieboldii
Oyama Magnolia
Magnolias are one of the oldest flowering plants. They range widely in size and habit, from spreading shrubs to huge trees, and are classified as evergreen or deciduous. Oyama Magnolia is a small, deciduous Japanese species. It has a medium growth rate, forming a vase shaped multi-stemmed tree. It grows 6 to 15 feet tall and about as wide. It will grow best in partial shade. The buds are fat and pointed, and open to nodding cream-colored flowers with a ring of pink to red stamens. In late spring the flowers begin to open then bloom sporadically through the summer. The blossoms smell like Vaseline Intensive Care hand lotion, kind of a fresh, fruity smell that is creamy and sharp at the same time. The seed pods are red and the leaves turn yellow in autumn. It’s hardy in zones 6 to 10.
People are really funny. This is an optimistic way of putting it, but it’s true. One design client I dealt with recently hates plants that are ‘pokey’ or look ‘dirty’, and ‘likes her flowers sassy’. She’s obsessed with ivy, even though most kinds are illegal to sell here because they are so invasive. But I special ordered her a better behaved variety called ‘Hahn’s’.
Another client, however, also wanted to make quite a few changes to the plan I’d done for her and it was fun to help her tweak things. As we looked at the trees I had chosen for her she realized that she really loved the deciduous magnolias. If we found a compact way to screen the busy street and bus stop on her corner, she’d have room for two kinds. She choose a ‘Royal Star’ Magnolia stellata, and a pink ‘Galaxy’ Magnolia. On paper, I moved a few groups of shrubs around and replaced others with ground covers in order to accommodate the trees. I think it will be a really cool garden. While we were poking around back in the Magnolia section we found ‘Oyama’ in bloom and admired its buds, pendulous flowers and scent.
