We are having a spell of the most supremely gorgeous weather--all the storms and tornados were far north of us, up in Tupelo in north Mississippi they had tornadoes. Here, we didn't even get a drop of rain.

Cool breezes, low humidity, sunny days and blue skies and chilly nights. If it could only stay this way! The magnolias have started to bloom, and there's few things more beautiful than a magnolia tree, with its glossy green leaves, loaded with large creamy white flowers. They are the Mississippi state flower, and were on our car license plates for years, till last year when they were replaced by the Biloxi lighthouse.

I notice yesterday on the way to Hattiesburg, where Highway 98 cuts through the Ragland Hills,  the Bigleaf Magnolia are gonna bloom this year. They are rarely seen in bloom. They are native to a small swath across the southeast. They are small spindly looking trees with leaves that look like banana leaves, except they aren't glossy. They have huge flowers. I picked one once that had two leaves attached, that one flower and leaves covered the entire passenger seat of the car.

This is how my field guide to trees describes them: Magnolia macrophylla has huge deciduous leaves 20-30 inches long and 8-10 inches wide...fragrant cup shaped flowers are 10-to 12 inches in diameter six creamy white petals with rose at the base..the bark is gray and scaly in older trees.
Magnolias have been around for millions of years; identified in fossil deposits. They have survived the ageless millinea of time, a dinosaur of the tree family.

The petals of a magnolia are  thick and leathery like the finest softest kidskin. They have a lemony scent. Totally unsuitable as cut flowers--as soon as you cut them they wilt and stat to turn dark. These magnificent flowers are best left where they are found--on the tree where they belong.

Comments:

We planted a young magnolia tree next door (our first house here)
and soon it was dried out and d-e-a-d. The black thumbs here
struck again. However, I am getting a handle on things and have
been watering every other day when there is no rain (and there
hasn't been). Ed fights me on watering because he doesn't have a
feel for it. He thinks our bougainvilla gets too much but it
is dried out. I am ignoring him. This is the rainy season.
Where is the rain ??!!

comment by tealstar on May 14, 2008 4:27 AM ()

Hi teal; needing rain here too; watering plants every day gets
tiresome. The Gestalt Gardener on the radio says people water
all wrong. Instead of every day, water deeply like once a week to encourage deep root growth. So I missed a few days and the lettuce and radishes wilted and dried up. This gardener also talks about a mini
magnolia called a Little Gem that's easy to grow.(Sez he.) It'd never
survive around here.

reply by susil on May 14, 2008 10:58 AM ()