Worcester County

Magnolia ‘Jane’

Plant of the Week... 

...is a hybrid from Magnolia liliiflora ‘Reflorescence’ x Magnolia stellata ‘Waterlily, and bred to bloom in April to May, 2-4 weeks after both Magnolia soulangiana and Magnolia stellata so the flowers would be protected from early frost.  ‘Jane’ is a sister to 7 other of the Little Girls Magnolias that were born at the U.S. National Arboretum, ‘Ann’, ‘Betty’, ‘Judy’, ‘Pinkie’, ‘Randy’, ‘Ricki’ and ‘Susan’.  All of the Girls are from 2 Magnolia liliiflora cultivars, either ‘Nigra’ or ‘Reflorescence’ and 2 Magnolia stellata cultivars, either ‘Rosea’ and ‘Waterlily’. All of the Girls prefer to grow in full sun to partial shade, and thrive in organically rich, slightly acidic, moist but well drained soils. A layer of 2-3 inches of mulch will protect the roots, which when planted prefer not to be disturbed again.  Once established ‘Jane’ is tolerant of clay soils, air pollution and heat, which allows her to fit into many Maryland landscapes.  ‘Jane’ has 4-inch large, cup shaped fragrant flowers in shades of purple to reddish purple outside and pure white inside. Her leaves can grow to 6 inches long with an entire margin or smooth edge and an oval shape.  The foliage starts out copper with copper -red tints that hide all summer under the dark green, then emerge again in the autumn.  ‘Jane’ is also the most cold tolerant of all the Little Girls.  The earliest to bloom is ‘Ann’ who grows 10-12 feet tall and up to 15 feet wide withe dark reddish purple outside and lighter on the inside.  ‘Betty’, ‘Judy’, ‘Randy’, ‘Ricki’ and ‘Susan’ all bloom mid-season, with ‘Betty’ and ‘Susan’ growing up to 15 feet tall, ‘Randy’ and ‘Ricki’ growing 10-11 feet tall and ‘Judy’ only reaching 7-9 feet tall.   ‘Jane’ and ‘Pinkie’ are the latest to bloom with ‘Jane’ growing 20-25 feet tall and ‘Pinkie’ growing 10-11 feet tall.  The flowers bloom before the foliage emerges and each of the Girls are wonderful in their own right when in full bloom.   They all will have flowers bloom sporadically during the summer with lighter colored petals.  All of the Girls make excellent shrub borders or a tall informal hedge where their pink to purple flowers glow against the deep green leaves.   They also make excellent specimens in the lawn or along a woodland border and can fit nicely in a courtyard or by a patio where the flowers can be appreciated.   Potential disease problems can include anthracnose, canker, dieback, leaf spots and powdery mildew while potential insect pest can include scale, snails, thrips and weevils.

Ginny Rosenkranz