Magnolia grandiflora D.d. blanchard

The Magnolia grandiflora 'D.d Blanchard' is a superb selection of a majestic evergreen tree known as the Magnolia with large flowers. With a splendid habit, dense and reminiscent of a large pyramid of greenery, it reveals the underside of its large leaves beautifully colored in brown-rust throughout the year. It blooms for nearly three months in summer, offering sublime flowers, resembling large white tulips with a deliciously lemony fragrance.

Originally from the Southeastern United States, the Magnolia grandiflora thrives in light, warm, moist, and rich, deep soils. Its range extends from Texas to Virginia, passing through the northern and central regions of Florida. In its natural habitat, it is found in wooded and humid areas, on non-alkaline soil.

'D.d Blanchard' is a cultivar selected in North Carolina for its rust-colored foliage on the underside and its ample and regular habit. At maturity, this tree will reach approximately 15 m (49 ft) in height and 8 m (26 ft) in width. Its growth is quite slow, although it quickly forms a particularly straight trunk from which slightly upright branches emerge towards the sky, forming an excellent shade tree, in the shape of a wide pyramid. Its leaves are evergreen in winter (except in case of very heavy frost), alternate, leathery, and 15-20 cm (1 and 6in) long. They are smooth and dark green and shiny on the upper side, brown-rust coloured and rough on the underside.

Flowering mainly occurs in summer, from June to August-September (in the southeastern USA, flowering begins in late April and ends in July). The large solitary flowers, 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 in) in diameter and tulip-shaped, are composed of thick petals, creamy white, open around a cone covered with yellow stamens. Each flower lasts only one day on the tree, but they are continuously renewed. This flowering is followed by the formation of large reddish cone-shaped fruits, quite decorative, revealing red seeds.

The Magnolia grandiflora 'D.d Blanchard' is mainly used as a specimen tree in a large garden, but also as a street tree along a vast plot of land, or in a free hedge. Choose a strategic location in the garden to be able to admire this tree, perhaps the most beautiful of all evergreens, and thus enjoy its lemony flowering. It could be associated, for example, with another large magnolia, but deciduous and with spring flowering, such as the Magnolia soulangeana.