It’s the Spring Equinox the first buds are breaking open on St Bridget’s collection of Magnolia. Pop in to our Plant-Area this March to see these show-stopper shrubs.
At St Bridget we grow a good selection of Magnolia, from small and medium shrubs to larger shrubs and small trees. Our Magnolia produce fabulous flowers ranging in colour from white through pink to deep magenta and even yellow. With varieties like M. ‘Heaven Scent’ giving you fantastic fragrance too!
‘Heaven Scent’
Most of the collection are deciduous, with flowers arriving before the leaves in Springtime. Our Evergreen Magnolia is (appropriately for our location) M. grandiflora ‘Exmouth’ which is great for growing against a sheltered sunny wall where it will reward you with fantastic flowers in Summer-time. This one is our best for alkaline soils.
Grandiflora ‘Exmouth’
Most Magnolia prefer neutral or acidic soil. Not sure about your soil? Pop into our Gardening Shop and pick up a simple soil testing kit. Getting you results take as long as making a cup of tea, and then you’re all set to choose the best plants for your garden.
Lucky enough to have acid soil? You’ve hit the plant-jackpot – we have many fabulous ornamental plants that thrive in acid soils – Speak to our Plant-Team about Plants for Acid soils, and we’ll show you some of our favourites.
Pick you a soil testing kit from St Bridget’s Gardening Shop.
Don’t be put off if you’ve got the ‘wrong kind of soil’ as we grow Magnolia that look great in pots. Choose an Ericaceous potting compost and fertiliser to bring out the best of Pot-grown Magnolia.
Stellata
Magnolias do need a sheltered spot, away from strong winds. Avoid frost pockets, as frost can damage the flowers in spring. A spot that gets plenty of sun will ensure a good display of flowers.
Bear in mind the mature height and spread of plants you buy (we use the RHS as a grow-guide) as you do want to give it plenty of room to grow, and some varieties do get big.
Pot Grow Plants will need a Spring Feed and we recommend an ericaceous fertiliser for Magnolia. Keeping the soil moist and chock-full of nutrients is the job of an organic mulch. Composted green waste, farmyard manure or other soil improvers are great at this, if you want a decorative mulch we recommend composted bark chip.
Magnolia shouldn’t need pruning, but if you do, wait until they’ve flowered and aim to remove broken, diseased, or crossing branches. Established Magnolia don’t respond well to hard pruning and may not flower in the following year – so go easy on the loppers and remember what we’ve said about growing room!
And as always, do make sure your newly planted Magnolia does not dry out in summer. Water the roots well during dry spells.
At time of writing (20th March 2023) here is what we have available at our Clyst St Mary Garden Centre.
At time of writing our prices start from £21 for a young plant in a 3 Litre Pot.
St Bridget grow in small batches so when they’ve sold out, it can be a while before more have ‘grown-up’ big enough for your garden.
If you want to check stock we recommend a call to the plant-team before you visit or send your plant-shopping-list to us at Gardening@stbridgetnurseries.co.uk
Let us find you that Perfect Plant!
Clyst St. Mary
Sidmouth Road, Clyst St. Mary,
Exeter, Devon, EX5 1AE.
Telephone: 01392 876281
Email: gardening@stbridgetnurseries.co.uk
OPENING HOURS
Monday to Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm*
Sundays 10.00am to 4.00pm*
Bank Holidays 9.00am to 5.00pm Closed (25/26 Dec)
*Cafe open until 4.30pm each day and until 3.30pm on Sundays.
