Magnolia Pink Pyramid

Magnolia ‘Pink Pyramid’ PBR stands out for its naturally upright, almost columnar habit, which easily fits in modestly sized gardens. This deciduous magnolia offers an early, abundant flowering in the form of large, deep pink tulip-shaped flowers, often followed by a second wave of summer blooms. Its regular growth, narrow habit, and rapid onset of flowering characterise this refined variety, well-suited to town gardens.

Magnolia × auriflora ‘Pink Pyramid’ PBR is a small deciduous tree from the Magnoliaceae family. It is a complex hybrid resulting from the cross-breeding between ‘Aurora’ (itself a hybrid of ‘Star Wars’ × M. sargentiana var. robusta) and ‘Genie’. Selected in New Zealand by Vance Hooper in 2007, it was registered and protected in 2020 under the code 'MGPIN2010'. This cultivar has a naturally fastigiate habit, reaching approximately 4m in height and 1.5m in width after ten years. Its growth is moderate, around 30 to 40 cm per year. The leaves are deciduous, leathery, and well-furnished in season, elliptical to lanceolate in shape, with a glossy dark green colour; they measure up to 15 cm long. The flowering is spectacular: the 15 to 20 cm diameter flowers, in the shape of flared tulips, appear abundantly from late March. Their deep pink to purple colour is sometimes lighter upon opening. A second, lighter flowering may occur in summer, around June-July, on well-established plants. The flowers are lightly fragrant. This variety is capable of flowering at a very young age, three or four years after planting. It shows good hardiness, down to –15/-20 °C.

With its slender silhouette and spectacular flowering, Magnolia ‘Pink Pyramid’ is an architectural plant. It is best used as a standalone specimen in a small open space, along a border, or at the heart of a bed. It pairs beautifully with spring perennials such as a carpet of wood anemones, late hellebores, or epimediums, but also with purple or silver foliage that highlights its large tulip-shaped flowers. Pair it, for example, with Japanese maple ‘Bloodgood’, with its deep purple foliage, or with the paniculate hydrangea ‘Limelight’, with its pale green to cream inflorescences. This scene will remain decorative until late summer.