Other Names:  Hou Pu Magnolia, Magnolia-bark Magnolia

Description:

A beautiful flowering accent tree for home landscapes, smothered in showy and fragrant white cup-shaped flowers in late spring; relatively coarse leaves and a neat upright habit of growth; flowers are occasionally lost to late spring frosts

Ornamental Features

Houpu Magnolia is bathed in stunning fragrant white cup-shaped flowers held atop the branches from mid to late spring before the leaves. It has dark green deciduous foliage. The large oval compound leaves turn coppery-bronze in fall. The fruits are showy red pods displayed from early to late fall. The smooth brown bark adds an interesting dimension to the landscape.

Landscape Attributes

Houpu Magnolia is a deciduous tree with a distinctive and refined pyramidal form. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other landscape plants with finer foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Houpu Magnolia is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Shade

Planting & Growing

Houpu Magnolia will grow to be about 60 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 50 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 6 feet from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. As it matures, the lower branches of this tree can be strategically removed to create a high enough canopy to support unobstructed human traffic underneath. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live to a ripe old age of 100 years or more; think of this as a heritage tree for future generations!

This tree does best in full sun to partial shade. It requires an evenly moist well-drained soil for optimal growth, but will die in standing water. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This species is not originally from North America.