Sweetbay Magnolia
Magnolia virginiana
Lemon-vanilla scented white blooms from late May through September on a tree that thrives in wet, boggy ground where other flowering trees fail.
Typically 1 quart–3 gal · $17–$85 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Sep 248 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Sep 258 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Sep 268 AM – 2 PM
Lemon-vanilla fragrance from June to September, silver-flash foliage, and the ability to grow in wet spots where other flowering trees won't. sweetbay earns every inch.
Sweetbay magnolia blooms over a long season: creamy white flowers the size of a coffee cup opening from late May through September, each one carrying a lemon-vanilla scent strong enough to stop you across the yard. The silver-backed leaves catch wind and flash their pale undersides in summer breezes, a visual effect that's quietly mesmerizing. Stand downwind on a warm June evening and the fragrance is extraordinary. Semi-evergreen in the South, deciduous further north. Adaptable to wet, boggy sites where most flowering trees fail, a significant advantage in landscapes with drainage problems. Red seeds in fall are taken by birds. The tree works in wet woodland edges, rain garden margins, and as a specimen near water features. Nothing gives you this combination of fragrance, wet-site tolerance, and summer bloom duration.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown sweetbay magnolia propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Mature size
- 10–30 ft · 8–20 ft wide
- Bloom time
- May–September
- Bloom color
- White
- USDA zones
- 5–10
- Family
- Magnoliaceae
- Native range
- Eastern United States
Care notes for sweetbay magnolia.
Full sun to part shade, moist to wet soil. tolerates periodic flooding and standing water. Amend with organic matter at planting in drier sites. Water generously through establishment. Prune in late winter if shaping is needed. Mulch well. No fertilizing required.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside sweetbay magnolia.
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