The Magnolias are blooming again
There are few more magnificent sights than a tree magnolia in full bloom, laden with spring blossom. My own 'Raspberry Ice' still has a day or two to go but The Garden House season has started already,
Most magnificent of all is Magnolia cambellii, a spectacle of pink flowered abundance.
Technically it's not on The Garden House's property, but just beyond the stream that marks the northern boundary, but, in the spirit of the borrowed landscape, it does form a magnificent backdrop to the garage and garden buildings it sits behind.
M.cambellii, originally from the Himalayas, is well established in many a South West garden, enjoying the mild, moist maritime climate of the region. A number of varieties can be found in cultivation. All are desirable - if you have the room. These are large trees and often don't flower for ten or more years after planting.
Such is the case with M.c. 'Betty Jessel', a deep pink flowered form that was looking magnificent in the spring sunshine when I photographed it last Friday.
It still has a few years to go to develop the full crown and profusion of massive flowers but even this comparatively young specimen is an impressive sight in the upper garden.
In the Arboretum another of the early flowering magnolias is unfurling its bloosom. M. 'Kim Kunso', a hybrid between between M. veitchii 'Peter Veitch' and M. soulangeana 'Lennei', is built on a far smaller scale but the large flowers are nearly as impressive.
It's only the start of the season, with plenty more Magnolia species and varieties to come. Not bad for one of the most ancient lineages of flowering plants, 90 million years or more old, during the later era of the dinosaurs, and still performing magnificently today.
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