Magnolia virginiana 'Jim Wilson' MOONGLOW

Sweet bay is a unique magnolia species that was first described by Carl Linnaeus, founder of modern taxonomy, already in 1753. Magnolia virginiana, that was the Latin name it received, was the very first magnolia species ever listed under this name. Interestingly, the plant had already been sent from America to England more than 50 years before that, by botanist John Baptist Banister. At that time the only magnolia known was a plant that was discovered on the island of Martinique by Charles Plumiére. Its local name was ‘talauma’. Magnolia virginiana was also the parent of later innovation known as bull bay magnolia – magnolia grandiflora.

Imagine passing by a green bush with pretty leaves but before you even take a glance at it you are struck by a cloud of highly sweet and pleasant fragrance coming from flowers that are only about 6-8 cm across. As if moonstruck your nose is dragged closer to the plant to look for the perfume source. Sticking your nose inside the flower is the last thing you remember for a few dozens of seconds. Got a picture?

This fragrant beauty is called MOONGLOW and is a variety of sweet bay magnolia, patented as Jim Wilson as PP12065 in 1999. Its single flowers are creamy white, never snow white, and open wide. They appear in profusion from late May for about a month, and then sporadically throughout the summer. Leaves are 10-15 cm long, widely obovate, rich green on the upper side and paler, almost silvery on the reverse. They are reliable evergreen only in the warmer zones, whereas in zones 5 and 6 they usually fall down by late December. They are a little stronger than those on deciduous species but they are NOT leathery.

MOONGLOW sweet bay magnolia grows very fast. Young plants can make up to 1m length. It grows strictly upright forming a multi-stemmed tree or tall bush with oval crown. Pruning is not usual but is possible if you need to keep it smaller, do so in early July after the main flowering period.

It naturally appears in moist and wet lands of SE USA which is why it is sometimes referred to as swamp magnolia. The ability to grow and also thrive in water-logged conditions makes it ideal for Central European clay-based soils that tend to keep water for longer time than other plants may sustain. Also, it is quite hardy and has already withstood -36°C without a problem, and is rated reliably hardy to USDA zone 5, and useful in zone 4 possibly with fewer flowers.

Last update 14-02-2017