Description:

An ideal accent tree for smaller home landscapes; features fragrant star-shaped pink and white blooms from red buds; upright and multi-stemmed, slow growing; flowers may be occasionally lost to late spring frosts

Ornamental Features

Rubra Red Star Magnolia is blanketed in stunning fragrant shell pink star-shaped flowers with a hot pink reverse at the ends of the branches from early to mid spring, which emerge from distinctive red flower buds before the leaves. It has dark green deciduous foliage. The pointy leaves turn coppery-bronze in fall. The fruits are showy pink pods displayed in early fall.

Landscape Attributes

Rubra Red Star Magnolia is a dense multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a shapely oval form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, 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.

Rubra Red Star Magnolia is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Rubra Red Star Magnolia will grow to be about 8 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 2 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 80 years or more.

This shrub 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 quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.