May is when I adapt to the pace of nature, to paraphrase the famous naturalist and essayist Henry David Thoreau.
Like nature, I’m at my busiest at this time of year and loving every frenetic minute. Such inspiration reminds me of another piece of wisdom (attributed to champion golfer Walter Hagen): “Don’t hurry, don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.”
May is an impossibly busy time in the garden and yet we woe ourselves the pleasure of stopping and mentally drifting in the garden. So last week, while weeding the front garden and cleaning out the fish pond, I found myself studying our blooming magnolia “Elizabeth.”
I’m in the habit of viewing my landscape from a critical standpoint but it’s perfectly natural to find moments to simply take in the beauty. Appreciating one’s surroundings is a vital part of having a garden after all.
I’ve been dazzled by nature from the time I could tottle and a favorite memory that I try to reenact each year is being about six and hugged by my great grandmother’s massive and seductive saucer magnolia that grew next to her front porch.
The pink blossoms were so profuse that to stand on the corner of the porch that it draped would essentially wrap you int is baby-soft petals. The tree — met its demise by an early spring ice storm and was replaced with a Bradford pear – presumably a more cold-tolerant specie.
When choosing a tree for our front yard 20 years ago we wanted a flowering tree as a centerpiece and the magnolia seemed a perfect choice.
For something different, we decided on the variety called “Elizabeth” with its yellow blossoms that appear later in the spring, giving it stronger staying power against late frosts.
Originally, we’d planted it in the center of the front yard to replace a flowering quince that was sacrificed for a sewer line. But it was getting bumped too much (kids and pets) so I transplanted it to a more sheltered location by the front entrance and underplanted it with Siberian cypress. Years later a low boxwood hedge was installed that separated this plot from the brick walkway (this too went by the wayside, when I realized how scraggly it was due to the shade from the tree. I have since underplanted the area with an array of perennials and bulbs and a single vertical boxwood, and finally I’m happy with the results.
Over the years the tree has grown dramatically both vertically and horizontally, necessitating pruning. You can spot it from down the street with its gleaming yellow flowers that later give way to a canopy of green. Insects do not bother it, and the drawbacks are few if any, unless you’re bothered by the fallen petals which are substantial. I like how they resemble a blanket across the understory and walk, announcing their part in the spring show. From the fuzzy bud phase to the splatter of petal-confetti I have to marvel at this tree. It was a good choice and one that makes me wax nostalgic.
Magnolias are a large ancient genus of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs containing 80 to 100 species from Asia and North America. Many are favorite garden trees like the one that graced my great grandmother’s porch. The Asian species usually bloom on bare branches in late winter or early spring, making them among the first trees to flower.
Magnolia stellata from Japan are among the very early starry white flowers that appear a week before the saucer magnolia blooms. The fragrant 3-to-4-inch-wide flowers consist of a dozen or more straplike white or pale pink petals surrounding a yellow center.
These are seen all over the New England landscape as a border or foundation planting, sited where it can be enjoyed from inside, or as you go in and out of the house. There are a couple of these in my town that I always look forward to ogling. You cannot miss the grand dame of saucer magnolias that grows beside the Seahorse on Route 6.
The saucer magnolia dating back to the 1800s is the most common planted deciduous magnolia. There is an evergreen variety “Sweet Bay” Magnolia that thrives in the south and can also be grown here (although they will not hold their leaves) bearing beautiful dark glossy green leaves against fragrant white petals.
Wherever you find them, take time to glory in their beauty.
“She’s got everything delightful/ She’s got everything I need…” from Sugar Magnolia by the Grateful Dead.
The Seaside Gardener
By Laura McLean