This article will take you through 12 Magnolia trees for zone 5. The Magnolia genus of plants, which contains many species suitable for cooler climes, is extraordinarily diversified and is frequently regarded as the archetypal trees and shrubs that represent the South of America.
Based on the region they are grown in, magnolias can be either evergreen or deciduous. While some species are large, upright, or upright trees, others are multi-stemmed shrubby plants.
Contents
- 12 Magnolia Trees For Zone 5
- 1. Anise Magnolia (Magnolia salicifolia)
- 2. Bigleaf Magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla)
- 3. Ashe’s Magnolia (Magnolia ashei)
- 4. Cucumber Tree (Magnolia acuminata)
- 5. Lily Magnolia (Magnolia liliiflora)
- 6. Kobus Magnolia (Magnolia kubos)
- 7. Loebner Magnolia (Magnolia × loebneri)
- 8. Saucer Magnolia (Magnolia x soulangiana)
- 9. Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)
- 10. Star Magnolia (Magnolia stellata)
- 11. Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana)
- 12. Umbrella Magnolia (Magnolia tripetala)
- Conclusion
12 Magnolia Trees For Zone 5
We have 12 Magnolia trees for zone 5 for you and will guide you through all of them. Magnolias are not difficult to grow and stand out among blossoming trees and shrubs because they can tolerate shade. The ideal soil for magnolia trees to flourish in, however, drains well if you are thinking of putting them in your garden.
These plants typically struggle with wet feet in muddy soil. Giving magnolia plants a slow-release fertilizer feeding in the spring is preferable to promote their growth. If the soil in your garden is neutral or alkaline, you can extensively treat it with peat moss to decrease the pH before planting so that you have the acidic soil that magnolias prefer.
To keep the plant thriving, you will have to change the pH from time to time by mulching around it with pine needles or some other acidic material or feeding it an acid fertilizer.
Magnolias are particularly prone to fungal infections, typically as different kinds of leaf spots. The most vulnerable trees and shrubs are those that grow in moist, shaded, or humid environments.
Using preventive fungicide treatments or keeping the tree or shrub well-pruned to remove any damaged or diseased branches may assist in warding off any fungal diseases. Pruning carefully to increase airflow is another effective preventative technique for fungus issues.
1. Anise Magnolia (Magnolia salicifolia)
The leaves of the anise magnolia resemble those found on a willow tree or plant. They are as wide as the typical magnolia leaf but wider than willow leaves, another common name is willow-leaf magnolia. Before the leaves emerge in the springtime, these deciduous trees will display white blooms with strappy petals.
Golden yellow, a color these plants can frequently be found in, is a lovely fall color.
- Native country: Japan
- Hardiness zones: 5–9
- Can grow to 30 feet or more in height
- Sun exposure: Part shade and full sun
2. Bigleaf Magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla)
With foliage that may grow up to 32 inches long, the bigleaf magnolia lives true to its name. It is typically a deciduous tree, like the majority of magnolias, but sometimes, warmer climates may well see it become an evergreen. The blooms, which typically occur in May, can reach a diameter of 10 inches and have white petals with purple bases.
- Native Area: Mexico and the Southeast United States
- Hardiness zones: 5–8
- Can grow up to 30 to 40 feet in height, with the potential to reach 60 feet
- Sun exposure: Part shade and full sun
3. Ashe’s Magnolia (Magnolia ashei)
Ashe’s magnolia can grow to be either a huge shrub or a tiny tree based on how it is maintained. It is occasionally regarded as a bigleaf magnolia subspecies (its foliage can grow to be as much as two feet long).
In recognition of William Willard Ashe of the US Forest Service, the plant was named after him. Once the light-green leaves have developed in the springtime, the white blooms with petals up to one foot long begin to bloom.
- Native Area: Florida
- Hardiness zones: 5–9.
- Can grow up to 30 feet or even more in height
- Sun exposure: Part shade and full sun
4. Cucumber Tree (Magnolia acuminata)
The cucumber tree magnolia gets its name from how its fruits resemble the vegetable. Although it possesses the huge, glossy foliage (up to 10 inches long) and sprawling growth rates of the traditional southern magnolias, this magnolia is the most cold-hardy.
However, its emerald, tulip-shaped blooms are the least impressive, measuring only two inches across. The fruits emerge when the blossoms mature from green to scarlet. This might make a nice specimen tree or shade tree for cooler areas if you can put up with the messiness that comes with the huge leaves.
- Native Area: Southern Ontario and the American Appalachian Mountains
- Hardiness zones: 3–8
- Can grow up to 60 to 80 feet in height
- Sun exposure: Part shade and full sun
5. Lily Magnolia (Magnolia liliiflora)
One of the smallest kinds on this list, the lily magnolia, can grow as a shrub or a small tree. This shrub produces an enormous rush of light-scented dark red and purple or pink flowers with lily-like shapes in the spring season before the foliage emerges.
A well-liked cultivar called “Nigra” is noted for its vibrant flowers. Dark green, elliptical leaves show up after flowering. The saucer magnolia has this species as a parent.
- Native Area: Southwest China
- Hardiness zones: 5–10.
- Can grow to 8 to 12 feet tall
- Sun exposure: Part shade and full sun
6. Kobus Magnolia (Magnolia kubos)
The Kobus magnolia is a slow-growing cultivar that possesses many of the typical characteristics of the genus, including enormous, dark-green foliage and fragrant, white blossoms with pink undertones that bloom before the leaves unfurl.
It is frequently planted as a specimen tree in areas where early-season blossoms are sought. It is also referred to as the Japanese magnolia and the northern Japanese magnolia.
Although this plant frequently develops many trunks, cutting it down to a single central leader will lend to it a more conventional tree-like shape. One of the two parent species, along with Stella magnolia, that combined give rise to the Loebner magnolia is the Kobus magnolia.
- Native to: Korea and Japan
- Hardiness zones: 5–8
- Can grow up to 25 to 50 feet in height, with very old trees occasionally reaching 75 feet
- Sun exposure: Part shade and full sun
7. Loebner Magnolia (Magnolia × loebneri)
The Kobus and star magnolias were crossed to create the hybrid known as the Loebner magnolia. This little tree typically has several stems, but you can make a central leader by pruning.
Before the foliage appears in the springtime, aromatic star-shaped pinkish and white blooms bloom about four to six inches in diameter. Compared to other magnolias, these have shorter, oval, dark green leaves that are only 5 inches long.
- Hybrid plant native to the area; no natural range
- Hardiness zones: 5–9.
- Can grow to a height of 20 to 30 feet; on rare occasions, up to 60 feet
- Sun exposure: Part shade and full sun
8. Saucer Magnolia (Magnolia x soulangiana)
The saucer magnolia, produced by crossing the lily and Yulan magnolias, can grow as either a tiny tree or a huge shrub with several stalks.
The spring and summer, before the leaves emerge, is when the white blossoms with pink inside often show. There are numerous cultivars available with a variety of purple flower colors. The magnolia that is most frequently grown in the U.S. is this one.
- Hybrid plant native to the area; no natural range
- Hardiness zones: 4–9.
- Can grow to heights of 20 to 25 feet tall
- Sun exposure: Part shade and full sun
9. Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)
The Magnolia grandiflora is probably the tree that comes to mind whenever folks think of magnolias or learn about them in books set in the antebellum South. The flower of this magnolia tree is Mississippi and Louisiana’s official flower.
Large evergreen trees like southern magnolias require a lot of room to grow. The white blooms, which bloom from mid-summer to the early fall, can measure up to 12 inches across and have broad, leathery leaves up to 10 inches long. This particular magnolia thrives in partial shadow, unlike most, which prefer full sun but can tolerate moderate shade.
- Native Region: Southeast United States
- Hardiness zones: 5–9.
- Can grow to 60 to 80 feet tall
- Sun exposure: Part shade and full sun
10. Star Magnolia (Magnolia stellata)
Before any other blossoming tree or even the majority of spring bulbs, this type of magnolia is a tiny deciduous tree or big shrub that blooms towards the end of winter or in early spring with white flowers fashioned like stars. Grow it in a protected area if feasible to enable it to bloom in the spring. Frost can easily harm the buds.
- Native country: Japan
- Hardiness zones: 4–8
- Can grow to heights of 15 to 20 feet tall
- Sun exposure: Part shade and full sun
11. Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana)
This tree may also go by the names beaver tree, swamp magnolia, or laurel magnolia in the area it grows. The sweetbay magnolia often grows as an erect tree that is evergreen in hotter areas as opposed to a deciduous shrub or small plant with numerous stems in cold regions.
For clay soils or bog areas, it is a great plant. The middle of summer to early fall sees the arrival of waxy white flowers, and the glossy green, oblong foliage features silvery undersides.
- Native area: Eastern U.S.
- Hardiness zones: 5–10.
- Can grow to a height of 10 to 35 feet tall
- Sun exposure: Part shade and full sun
12. Umbrella Magnolia (Magnolia tripetala)
The large, lustrous leaves that can grow up to 24 inches in length and 10 inches wide and hang down at the end of each branch give the umbrella magnolia its name.
This little tree has multiple stems, and because it is endemic to the Appalachian understory forests, it thrives in shaded areas . The 6 to 10-inch wide, creamy white flowers bloom from late springtime to early summer, right after the foliage has begun to sprout. Although aromatic, they do not have a particularly sweet scent.
- Native Region: Eastern North America
- Hardiness zones: 5–8
- Can grow to a height of 15 to 30 feet tall
- Sun exposure: Part shade and full sun
Conclusion
The magnolia is one of the few plants that best embodies the South in America. Southerners are accustomed to seeing their large, glossy, waxy leaves in contrast to their heady, aromatic blossoms.
They come into bloom in a spectrum of hues, and while certain species do so in the sweltering summer, others do so in the dead of winter, heralding the arrival of milder weather. These trees are popular in Southern yards due to their variety and fragrant blossoms, which are always attractive to gardeners.
In our opinion, every yard should have a magnolia variety, and every gardener will have their favorite varieties.
And if you hadn’t found the one for you before coming to this article, we hope reading through this list gave you an idea of which type of magnolia tree is the perfect fit for your garden or yard. So head out and get yourself the beautiful magnolia tree your property deserves!
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