Magnolia Daybreak

Magnolia ‘Daybreak’ is a hybrid selected for its fastigiate habit, its rather late flowering, and its sweet fragrance. This variety forms a small, narrow tree that fits well in town gardens, courtyards, and small spaces, as a standalone specimen or in a row. Its large, two-tone pink flowers open widely and offer a magical spectacle in the heart of spring.

Belonging to the Magnoliaceae family, ‘Daybreak’ is a cultivar of deciduous magnolia. It was created by the American geneticist and breeder Dr August E. Kehr in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Introduced to the horticultural trade in the late 1980s, it was officially registered in the early 1990s. Its parents are Magnolia × brooklynensis ‘Woodsman’ and the hybrid ‘Tina Durio’.
It is named ‘Daybreak’, evoking the dawn, due to the translucent pinkish hues of its tepals upon opening. The tree exhibits a fastigiate and upright habit, a narrow, ovate crown, upright branching, and medium to rapid growth in young plants. It commonly reaches 6 to 8 m in height and 2 to 3.50 m in width at maturity (approximately 4 m x 2 m at 10 years, depending on soil and climate); in mild climates and deep soils, older specimens can exceed 9 m in height. The bark of young trees is grey and smooth, cracking with age. The deciduous foliage consists of single, elliptical to ovate, medium green leaves with wavy margins, measuring up to 25 cm long by 15 cm wide. They turn slightly yellow-brown in autumn before falling. The root system is spreading, rather shallow, formed of fleshy roots, sensitive to soil cultivation; avoid moving established plants.
Flowering occurs from late April to May. The large, star-shaped flowers open widely,20 to 25 cm in diameter. Each comprises 8 to 9 thick tepals, of a slightly salmon-pink to very pale pink, without any trace of purple. Their reverse is a deeper pink, and the buds may show a slight greenish or cream hue; their fragrance is pronounced, with a citrus note. The flowers appear on the previous year's wood, just before the full development of the leaves, which limits damage from spring frosts. 'Daybreak' tolerates cold well (down to −20 °C at peak) and is generally healthy.
This cultivar received a Gold Medal from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society in 2004 and the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society in 2012.

Magnolia 'Daybreak', a quintessential ornamental tree, will quickly become the star of the garden in spring. It can be planted as a standalone specimen, where its flowering is universally admired. You can also plant it along a large driveway, alongside columnar flowering trees such as crab apple 'Red Obelisk' and Prunus serrulata 'Amanogawa', for example. It can also be integrated into a bed of large shrubs with staggered flowering times like Hamamelis, Calycanthus (Strawberry bush), and other Fothergilla.
Magnolias are ancient trees; fossils that are over 20 million years old have been found. Their magnificent flowering is considered one of the most primitive: their flowers are close, from an evolutionary point of view, to the first existing flowers. Magnolia bark has medicinal properties and is used in cosmetics. Their wood is considered precious.
The name Magnolia was given in 1703 by Charles Plumier, botanist to King Louis XIV, paying homage to the physician-botanist Pierre Magnol (1638-1715), who was one of the directors of the Montpellier Botanical Garden at the end of the 17th century.