MAGNOLIA

Magnolia ‘Brixton Belle’ is a stunning selection from revered New Zealand breeder Vance Hooper of Magnolia Grove. At the first touch of spring, ‘Brixton Belle’ lights up, with its bright pink flower buds unfurling to reveal elegant petals bathed in a touch of pink. Every bloom is an enchanting work of art and, despite their large size (25-30cm diameter), wonderfully delicate. ‘Brixton Belle’ forms a small rounded tree and flowers from an early age, so you won’t have to wait long to enjoy these beauties in your garden. As a bonus, there is usually a second flowering in summer. Little pruning is required, apart from removing damaged or dead branches and maybe lifting the crown to accommodate underplanting. Plant in a sheltered position, in moist free draining, fertile soils, with full sun for at least half the day. Deciduous.

Magnolia 'Cameo' is another superb magnolia bred by renowned New Zealand breeder Vance Hooper of Magnolia Grove. 'Cameo' is a sister seedling to ‘Cleopatra’. Dark maroon buds unfurl into elegantly sculpted flowers, reminiscent of a cameo brooch. Outer tepals are dark maroon with a, white flushed, magenta inner, creating a striking contrast (colour may pale slightly, due to climatic influences). From late winter ‘Cameo’ puts on an impressive display of exceptionally prolific flower power. In the summer glossy green leaves add a lovely foil to a second round of flowering. 'Cameo' forms a small rounded tree, perfect for gardens of any size. Little pruning is required, apart from removing damaged or dead branches and maybe lifting the crown to accommodate underplanting. Plant in a sheltered position, in moist free draining, fertile soils, with full sun for at least half the day. Deciduous.

Graceful, dainty, and prolific, sums up Magnolia ‘Church Mouse’, a lovely selection from NZ breeder Glyn Church. ‘Church Mouse’ was recently reclassified from being a Michelia to a Magnolia and is a dwarf form of the old Michelia yunnanensis. The combination of classic cream petals and furry, plush, tan-brown buds set against dark green foliage give ‘Church Mouse’ a timeless grace. A wonderful talent of ‘Church Mouse’ is to flower and flower and flower. This is achievable due to flower buds being set all the way down the stems, at nearly every leaf axil, not just on the tips. Its smaller stature makes ‘Church Mouse’ a stunning container plant as well as a good hedge option for smaller gardens. Best grown in full sun or partial shade, in compost enriched lime-free soils. Evergreen.

This stately beauty, Magnolia 'Cleopatra', was bred by revered New Zealand breeder Vance Hooper, of Magnolia Grove, and is sure to become the Queen of your garden! Featuring the most mesmerizing rich purple blooms, 'Cleopatra' is a prolific flowerer from a young age, with first blooms appearing in late winter to early spring, followed by a repeat flowering in summer. The wealth of blooms, plus a compact, narrow, growth habit, makes 'Cleopatra' ideal for gardens of all sizes and also large containers. All very good reasons why 'Cleopatra' was winner of the Best New Tree Award at the Essen International Plant Fair in 2013. She's an absolute must for all magnolia lovers. Little pruning is required, apart from removing damaged or dead branches and maybe lifting the crown to accommodate underplanting. Plant in a sheltered position, in moist free draining, fertile soils, with full sun for at least half the day. Deciduous.

Magnolia ‘Emperor’ is another beauty, bred by revered New Zealand breeder Vance Hooper, of Magnolia Grove, and a true monarch of the magnolia world. 'Emperor' is nothing short of magnificent, putting on a stunning and prolific early spring display of dark pink, dinner-plate sized flowers of around 30cm diameter. Glossy green leaves add a lovely background to a second round of flowering in summer. ‘Emperor’ is perfect as a garden feature tree but also wonderful in containers on the terrace. Little pruning is required, apart from removing damaged or dead branches and maybe lifting the crown to accommodate underplanting. Plant in a sheltered position, in moist free draining, fertile soils, with full sun for at least half the day. Deciduous.

With its abundance of elegant white blooms and pleasing scent, Magnolia ‘Gail's Favourite’ is set to become the darling of your garden. This spring beauty is another stunning Magnolia selection by New Zealand breeder, Glyn Church. It forms a dense bush that, in late winter / early spring, is covered in flowers with an enchanting lemony, cinnamon scent. The velvety bronze flower buds open to exquisite white blooms nestled in amongst the rounded foliage, which is a glossy dark green with soft brown underside. ‘Gail’s Favourite’ rarely needs trimming due to its slow growing, bushy habit, making it easy to maintain. This is a fabulous feature plant in a contemporary garden and when young, works perfectly in a pot on the deck or patio. Best grown in full sun or partial shade, in lime-free, compost enriched soils. Evergreen.

Magnolia 'Genie' is without a doubt the most prestigious selection, to date, from the stable of revered New Zealand breeder Vance Hooper of Magnolia Grove, and has several accolades to boast about. 'Genie' is so-named for her magical qualities of: being an exceptionally good garden plant; being a reliable and floriferous flowerer; producing stunning deepest maroon blooms; and most importantly to Vance, being a good breeder. In fact, ‘Genie’ has formed the foundation of approximately 90% of all Vance’s breeding programs to date. It is these magical qualities that saw her win First Prize at the International Plant Fair (IPM) Essen, Germany, in 2011 and a prestigious KVBC Gold Medal Award from the Netherlands, in 2020. 'Genie' was also included in the Royal Horticultural Societies 'Coronation Collection' gifted to His Majesty King Charles 111 in March 2023.
‘Genie’ forms a narrow, compact, pyramidal tree, perfectly proportioned for smaller gardens and tight spaces. At 4-5m high by 2-2.5m wide on maturity, ‘Genie’ creates a beautiful vertical accent in the garden. She reports the changing seasons with a silhouette of bare winter branches studded with fat furry buds, morphing into blackish-maroon in early spring, then opening to the most voluptuous, goblet-shaped, deep maroon blooms by mid-spring. The firmly textured, lightly fragrant, blooms, last for at least ten weeks and are frost hardy. The outer edge of each tepal recurves slightly, presenting an outline of the paler inner colour, accentuating the perfect form and aesthetics of this most elegant flower.
By late spring, flowers fade and lush green foliage emerges. In mid to late summer, another smaller flush of flowers appears, perched like giant rubies amongst the large leathery leaves. Summer flowering is enhanced by a sunny location and regular deep watering over dry periods. Deep yellow autumn colour follows before leaves fall and her bare branches are exposed once again.
Little pruning is required, apart from removing damaged or dead branches and maybe lifting the crown to accommodate underplanting. Plant in a sheltered position, in moist free draining, fertile soils, with full sun for at least half the day. Deciduous.

Bred in New Zealand by revered breeder Vance Hooper of Magnolia Grove, Magnolia ‘Mighty Mouse’ is an absolutely charming ‘mini-me’ version of worldwide favourite and award winning, Magnolia ‘Genie’. From foliage, shape and form, to buds and fully formed blooms, every feature of ‘Mighty Mouse’ is an exact replica of ‘Genie’ - in miniature! The depth of colour in the blooms is nothing short of stunning and given plenty of sunshine and adequate moisture, ‘Mighty Mouse’ is likely to repeat flower in the height of summer. Given its diminutive dimensions, ‘Mighty Mouse’ makes the perfect specimen for the tiniest garden and is well-suited to containers. Plant in a sunny, sheltered position, in well-composted, well-drained soil in the garden. Use a quality outdoor Tub Mix in containers. Deciduous.

Bred in New Zealand by revered breeder Vance Hooper of Magnolia Grove, Magnolia ‘Pink Promise’ forms a tidy, rounded, compact small tree. In mid to late spring, pinkish-purple, sharply pointed buds open to large, elegant blooms, revealing blush-pink to white inner petals with a darker base. Not only are a phenomenal number of blooms produced from a young age, you can also expect to discover a second show of gorgeous blooms, nestled amongst the foliage, in mid to late summer. ‘Pink Promise’ is an excellent choice of specimen tree for a small garden, or background subject in a large mixed border.
Little pruning is required, apart from removing damaged or dead branches and maybe lifting the crown to accommodate underplanting. Plant in a sheltered position, in moist free draining, fertile soils, with full sun for at least half the day. Deciduous.

Bred in New Zealand by revered breeder Vance Hooper of Magnolia Grove, Magnolia ‘Pink Pyramid’ is a complex hybrid, forming a narrow, upright, tree, making it the perfect choice to inject vertical emphasis into a small garden space or narrow border. Cup-shaped blooms, of vibrant reddish-purple to dark pink, are held on branch tips and short spurs on second year wood, in mid-spring. Blooms are plentiful and make a second appearance amid rich, dark-green foliage, over summer.
Little pruning is required, apart from removing damaged or dead branches and maybe lifting the crown to accommodate underplanting. Plant in a sheltered position, in moist free draining, fertile soils, with full sun for at least half the day. Deciduous.

Bred in New Zealand, by revered breeder Vance Hooper of Magnolia Grove, Magnolia ‘Starburst’ was inspired by the compact and hardy growth of the Magnolia cylindrica species, resulting in a super cold hardy variety suited to small gardens. ‘Starburst’ is distinguished not just by its coveted pyramidal growth habit, but also by its mass display of exquisite spring blooms, which have a light dusting of white, like fine icing sugar, over the dark pink petals, all displayed on a unique star-shaped flower form. This is a wonderful option for a smaller garden specimen, containers on the deck or patio, or as a decorative border.
Little pruning is required, apart from removing damaged or dead branches and maybe lifting the crown to accommodate underplanting. Plant in a sheltered position, in moist free draining, fertile soils, with full sun for at least half the day. Deciduous.

Bred in New Zealand, by revered breeder Vance Hooper of Magnolia Grove, Magnolia ‘Yoda’ forms a small to medium sized tree with a compact, upright habit. Long, pinkish-purple, pointed buds open to spectacular, lotus-like blooms of palest pink to pure white, with a darker base. ‘Yoda’ is very similar to, but smaller than, well-known Magnolia ‘Star Wars’. It is also extremely free-flowering and repeat blooms in summer. Ideally suited to a specimen tree for a small garden or background planting in a large mixed border.
Little pruning is required, apart from removing damaged or dead branches and maybe lifting the crown to accommodate underplanting. Plant in a sheltered position, in moist free draining, fertile soils, with full sun for at least half the day. Deciduous.

Bred in New Zealand, by revered breeder Vance Hooper of Magnolia Grove, Magnolia ‘Tinkerbelle’ forms a compact, columnar-shaped, small tree with slender, upright stems - the perfect choice for a small garden or narrow border. Sumptuous blooms, in the deepest rich-red, have a very formal, sculpted, chalice shape and are produced on terminal shoots and spur tips. An occasional secondary bloom also appears, as does a second flowering in mid-summer, to early autumn. ‘Tinkerbelle’ has proven to be generally wind and weather tolerant, as well as mildew resistant.
Little pruning is required, apart from removing damaged or dead branches and maybe lifting the crown to accommodate underplanting. Plant in a sheltered position, in moist free draining, fertile soils, with full sun for at least half the day. Deciduous.

Bred in New Zealand, by revered breeder Vance Hooper of Magnolia Grove, Magnolia 'Watermelon' is one of the most delightful ‘new generation’ magnolias for its overall form and outstanding performance. An absolute must for magnolia lovers, ‘Watermelon’ turns heads with its large, luscious, blooms, made more impressive by their distinctive and unusual watermelon-pink colouration - very unusual in magnolias. Flowering profusely from late winter to early spring, ‘Watermelon’ will literally light up the garden with its vibrant radiance and prolific blooming.
Little pruning is required, apart from removing damaged or dead branches and maybe lifting the crown to accommodate underplanting. Plant in a sheltered position, in moist free draining, fertile soils, with full sun for at least half the day. Deciduous.