Magnolia (Magnolia 'Susan')
Explore Magnolia 'Susan', a late-blooming deciduous shrub featuring showy, fragrant fuchsia flowers. Great for hedging in Zones 4-8.
Complete Plant Information
Overview
Magnolia ‘Susan’ is a highly valued introduction to the landscape, renowned for its stunning, upright, goblet-shaped flowers that bloom reliably in mid-spring. As a member of the celebrated “Little Girl” series of hybrid magnolias, this particular cultivar offers the significant advantage of blooming later than many other magnolias, reducing the risk of frost damage to its beautiful fuchsia blooms. The slow-growing nature of this deciduous shrub allows it to fit well into smaller gardens or as a feature specimen.
This Magnolia provides both aesthetic appeal and structural presence, maturing into a dense, compact shrub perfect for screening or formalized hedges. Its beauty is enhanced by lightly fragrant, showy flowers that appear before the foliage emerges, drawing immediate attention to the spring garden. Proper siting and minimal intervention are key to ensuring the health and longevity of your Magnolia ‘Susan’.
For gardeners seeking reliable spring color combined with manageable stature, Magnolia ‘Susan’ is an excellent choice. It offers layered interest through its bloom time, foliage color changes, and neat, rounded habit, making it a workhorse shrub across USDA Zones 4 through 8.
Fast Facts
- Plant Family: Magnoliaceae
- Plant Type: Deciduous shrub
- Hardiness Zones: USDA Zones 4-8
- Size at Maturity:
- Height: 8-12 ft
- Spread: 8-12 ft
- Bloom Time: April
- Bloom Description: Fuchsia
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Water Needs: Medium
- Maintenance Level: Medium
How to Grow
The best time to plant Magnolia ‘Susan’ is in the fall or very early spring before the growing season begins in earnest. Choose a location carefully, as this shrub has a sensitive, fleshy root system that dislikes being disturbed once established. Optimal soil conditions are organically rich, neutral to slightly acidic, medium moisture, and, crucially, well-drained. Amending heavy clay soil, despite its tolerance, will vastly improve performance.
Provide medium water, especially during dry spells, ensuring the soil remains consistently moist but never waterlogged. Applying a good root-zone mulch helps conserve moisture and moderate soil temperature. Protect your blooming Magnolia from harsh, drying winds and avoid warm southern exposures, which can cause premature bud swelling before hard frosts have passed.
Pruning should be kept minimal; typically, you only need to remove dead or damaged wood. If pruning for shape is necessary, perform it immediately after the spring bloom concludes. This late-blooming nature ensures that Magnolia ‘Susan’ generally avoids the worst of late spring frost damage that plagues earlier flowering species.
Landscape Uses
Magnolia ‘Susan’ excels where its specimen qualities can be appreciated, such as being planted as a beautiful flowering focal point near entryways or on the lawn periphery. While ideal as a specimen, it also works wonderfully within mixed shrub borders or along woodland edges where dappled light filters through taller trees. Perhaps one of its most practical uses is grown as a tall, informal hedge, providing seasonal structure and a bold color statement in early spring.
This compact hybrid lends itself well to foundation plantings, provided there is adequate space for its 8 to 12-foot eventual spread. Pair the deep fuchsia blooms of the Magnolia with spring ephemerals or late-blooming deciduous shrubs to extend the season of interest around its immediate vicinity. Its year-round structure makes it reliable even when dormant.
Standout Features
Flower Qualities
- Showy
- Fragrant
Noteworthy Characteristics
The genus Magnolia showcases approximately 100 species of evergreen or deciduous trees and shrubs, frequently recognized by their large simple leaves and often fragrant, conspicuous flowers. ‘Susan’ is a celebrated interspecific hybrid developed at the National Arboretum, crossed from M. Liliiflora ‘Nigra’ and M. Stellata ‘Rosea’. It is specifically noted for its compact habit and its late bloom time in mid-April to early May, providing beautiful, goblet-shaped, purple-red to fuchsia flowers just before the leaves emerge.
Tolerances
- Clay Soil
Potential Problems
Potential growers should be aware of both fungal diseases and minor insect issues that can affect this Magnolia. Fungal problems often manifest as leaf spots, anthracnose, canker, or powdery mildew, which can be mitigated by ensuring good air circulation and avoiding overhead summer watering. For insect control, watch for weevils, snails, scale, and thrips.
Management against pests and diseases involves vigilant early inspection and prompt treatment using appropriate horticultural oils or fungicides, particularly if conditions are humid. Because the root system of Magnolia ‘Susan’ is easily damaged, physical control methods such as hand-picking larger pests are preferable near the base of the plant.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hardiness zones is Magnolia ‘Susan’ suitable for?
Magnolia ‘Susan’ thrives in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 through 8, offering a good range for many temperate gardeners.
How large does Magnolia ‘Susan’ grow?
This plant typically reaches a mature height between 8 to 12 feet, with a similar spread of 8 to 12 feet, maintaining a compact, shrubby form.
What sun exposure does Magnolia ‘Susan’ need?
It prefers full sun to part shade, but locating it where it receives protection from intense afternoon sun in hotter climates can be beneficial.
When does Magnolia ‘Susan’ bloom?
This cultivar is valued for its late bloom time, generally flowering in April with distinctive fuchsia-colored, goblet-shaped flowers.
Conclusion
Magnolia ‘Susan’ offers gardeners a reliable explosion of fuchsia color in the mid-spring, making it a superior choice over earlier bloomers due to its frost resistance. Ensure you select a permanent home due to its sensitive roots, and plan on providing consistent moisture. Check your local USDA Zone compatibility before planting this magnificent hybrid Magnolia.
Companion Planting
When selecting companions for Magnolia ‘Susan’, focus on plants that share its preference for organically rich, slightly acidic soil and medium moisture. Consider planting later-flowering bulbs, such as Allium or late-blooming Daffodils, which will emerge after the magnolia’s flowers have faded, maintaining spring interest. For mid-summer color contrast, hostas and ferns thrive in the partial shade that develops as the leaves of the Magnolia mature.
Because the thick canopy of the Magnolia ‘Susan’ can shade the ground heavily, avoid shallow-rooted groundcovers directly against the trunk, which could compete aggressively for water. Instead, use mulch to suppress weeds under the canopy’s edge, keeping competition away from its critical fleshy roots.
Seasonal Care Calendar
Spring care centers entirely around protecting the emerging flowers; avoid applying high-nitrogen fertilizers early, as succulent new growth is more susceptible to sun scald and frost damage. Summer is the prime time to ensure consistent, deep watering to support the developing root system.
Fall is the best moment to amend the soil around the plant if needed, or to apply a fresh layer of organic mulch, which will insulate the roots over winter. Minimal winter preparation is usually needed in Zones 4-8, provided the plant is sited out of harsh, blasting winds. Wait until just after flowering in spring for any necessary shaping prunings.
