Magnolia Fairy White

The Magnolia Fairy White, also known as Michelia, is a beautiful evergreen bush that is still rarely offered and little known to gardeners. It blooms from the end of winter, with large sublime white flowers producing a delicious fragrance. Floriferous, it is also endowed with good health, manifested by abundant glossy foliage and a dense habit, which remains impeccable throughout the year. Its hardiness is average; it will be grown in pots in very cold regions, stored in a cold greenhouse during winter, or in the ground in milder climates. This magnolia prefers slightly acidic, well-drained, moist but not too dry soils, in sunny to semi-shaded exposures.

The Magnolia Fairy White belongs to the Magnoliaceae family, and shares with magnolias a fresh green glossy foliage and cup-shaped flowers. This variety is part of a series of hybrids developed in New Zealand, derived from Michelia doltsopa, a less hardy species native to the forests and subtropical regions of the eastern Himalayas, offering particularly fragrant white flowers from the end of winter.

The 'Fairy White' variety stands out with a denser and more compact habit, quick flowering on young subjects, increased hardiness, and excellent foliage retention even after flowering. It is a branching bush with a rounded habit, 3m (10ft) tall and 2m (7ft) wide at maturity when grown in the ground, maintaining more modest proportions in pots. From March to May, large velvet brown buds are born along its branches, located in pairs at the axil of each leaf. They open into magnolia flowers, at least 10cm (4in) wide, composed of narrow petals with a waxy texture, white color, and showing in their center a cluster of protruding stamens surrounding a pale yellow granular club-shaped pistil. The foliage is leathery, medium green and shiny, composed of ovate leaves, 6 to 8cm (2 to 3in) long, with a lighter fuzzy underside. It is not uncommon for this variety to rebloom in September, until the first frost.

Plant Michelia Fairy White to showcase it: as a standalone specimen, near a pathway to enjoy its fragrance, or even in a large container on the terrace to be stored during winter. In mild climates, it will be marvelous as a standalone plant on a short grass meadow, but also mixed in a flower bed or in a free hedge with viburnums (Viburnum odoratissimum), Japanese privets (Ligustrum japonicum), and even as a trimmed hedge by the sea. It can serve as a screen and a backdrop for small woodland plants. It will provide excellent perches for songbirds, further enhancing its exotic charm. This bush lends itself well to topiary art.

Michelia champaca, a close relative, is a bush cultivated in India, from which a highly sought-after essential oil is extracted in perfumery.