Magnolia Black Tulip
Of this particularly beautiful magnolia, one of my favourites –
Bred in New Zealand by leading Magnolia breeders, Felix and Mark Jury, Magnolia Black Tulip® is stunning. This woody tree grows well in most climates, tolerating all but the coldest temperatures. It performs best in the sun and enjoys protection from strong winds. In early Spring the reward is a mass of magnificent, 6 inch black-purple, goblet-shaped flowers. Magnolia Black Tulip® is an upright smaller tree growing to a height of 12 feet/4m, making it suitable for smaller gardens or featured in larger landscape plantings.
Key Features
Superb, goblet-shaped blooms up to 6 inches across
Stunning black-purple color
Quick to flower – flowers within the first few seasons
Smaller-growing tree, compact enough for most gardens
Pruning is generally not necessary, except for early training of the plant
Grows well in most climates
I took this picture almost exactly a year ago and if I can get to Wisley, where this tree is a real gem of a specimen, I’ll make some kind of comparison with the progress of the seasons this year over last. I suspect we are a little ahead (the roses certainly are).
Having said that, while we had a cold winter, snow in February and March 2013 was a whole lot of Arctic, the ground iron-like in its tundra-ness, we were catapulted out into warmer weather and we had the whole of Spring in about 6 weeks. Less a significant proportion of the slug, snail and aphid population too.
This year however – Escargots à la Bourguignonne anyone?
The Teddington Gardener 