Magnolia "Susan"

• Type: Magnolia
• Latin name: Magnolia liliiflora × stellata
• Cultivar: Susan
• Mature height: 3–4 m
• Width: 2.5–3 m
• Height when sold: ≈ 1 m
• Light: sunny or semi-shaded
• Winter hardiness: USDA 4–8

Planting Plant in spring (late April – May) or autumn (September) in a sunny or partly shaded spot with fertile, well-drained soil; wet spots with standing water are unsuitable. Dig a hole twice as wide as the pot, mix the excavated soil with compost, set the plant at the same depth it grew in the pot and water generously. Space plants 2.5–3 m apart. Magnolia prefers fertile, moist, slightly acidic to neutral soil and shelter from wind.

Watering Water a young plant regularly for the first two years and more often in dry spells; an established plant needs watering only in long dry periods. Mulch the soil with bark or wood chips.

Pruning Prune lightly straight after flowering: remove dead and crossing branches and avoid large cuts.

Feeding and winter care Feed in spring with compost or an organic fertiliser and, if needed, with a complex fertiliser in spring – early summer; give no nitrogen in autumn. Protect a young plant in its first winters with mulch and spruce boughs; plant it in shelter, as late frosts can damage the buds.