Don’t sleep on sweetbay
This magnolia is hardy and graceful
I AM OFTEN ASKED TO RECOMMEND a good tree for a small space like a shrub border, the corner of a house or by a patio, and I often forget to recommend the sweetbay magnolia. Native to the southeastern United States, this graceful tree is also a very tough tree.
Sweetbay magnolia can be single- or multi-trunked. It grows 15–20 feet tall on average in our area, and slightly taller in more southern regions. It has small, creamy white fragrant flowers and blooms in mid to late spring. The tree blooms on new and old growth, so it can bloom for a period of weeks. It produces cone-like seed pods, and birds love to eat the small red seeds when they ripen.
It can be evergreen, semi-evergreen or deciduous, depending on variety and location. Henry Hicks, Moonglow and Green Mile are commonly available evergreen varieties that have proven to be evergreen as far north as USDA Zone 6. Its shape can vary, but it is often narrow when young and matures to have a slightly wider canopy. Varieties that are not evergreen hold their foliage late into the fall before turning yellowish to brown and falling.
These small trees are an excellent choice for a challenging site, especially one that has wet or heavily compacted soil. They thrive in an urban environment and grow well in a sunny or partly sunny location. In the garden center, young plants can look a little thin or even leggy, but rest assured once planted they will grow and fill in beautifully.
