Photo: Photo by and (c)2008 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man). Co-attribution must be given to the Chanticleer Garden., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Sweetbay Magnolia
Magnolia virginiana
Also called swamp magnolia, laurel magnolia.
Lemon-scented white flowers from May into summer, silver-backed leaves, and a love of wet ground.
Showy flowersTolerates wet soilWildlife value
- Type
- Small tree
- Mature height
- 15–35 ft
- USDA zones
- 5–10
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Sun
- Full · Part
- Soil moisture
- Average · Wet
210
Sweetbay grows in swamps and streamsides from Massachusetts to Texas, so it thrives where downspouts drain and lawns puddle. Flowers open a few at a time for weeks, red seeds feed birds in fall, and the leaves flash silver in the wind. Deciduous in the north, evergreen in the south; a multi-stem clump is the most natural form.
Heights and zones are typical ranges for the species in cultivation; local conditions and seed source shift them. Estimate growth for this species →
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