Beloved for its dinner-plate size blossoms with the fragrance of lemons, the Southern Magnolia is considered to be the “Grand Dame” of Southern landscaping. This Southern native does well from Zones 6B to 9 with cultivars like Edith Bogue and Bracken’s Brown Beauty reportedly doing well into 5B thus pushing this perennial favorite into the Northeast and extreme Southern New England.
Home and Garden Landscapes recommends using this tree in your landscape if you have the room. Luckily, newer cultivars like Brackens Brown Beauty and Claudia Wannamaker do not have the wide spread of the original trees you see taking up massive amounts of space in the Deep South. Some cultivars like Lil Gem bloom from May till November and some cultivars like D.B. Blanchard have a beautiful coloration and texture to the underside of the leaves that some people liken to suede.
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Eastern Red Bud
The Eastern Red Bud is one of the first trees to bloom in the Eastern US in Spring. It is quickly followed by the American Dogwood which it is often used in combination with. Colors can vary somewhat from tree to tree making them an ideal choice for some variance in the landscape. Redbud must be moved during dormancy so plan ahead if you want to use this beauty in the landscape.
