Magnolias: Star takes a bow

Everyone loves magnolias. The fantastic blooms are simultaneously showy yet classy, and there so many varieties, with colours ranging from deep purple to snowy white.

Camellias, too, are an early spring stunner with gorgeous blooms that easily rival those of magnolia.

Flowers tend to be white, pink or red and, like magnolia, some camellias will be happy living in good-sized pots.

Many magnolias and camellias are “lime haters” which means that if your soil is not acidic, you’ll have to create suitable soil conditions in containers – but, as always, there are exceptions.

An all-round popular choice is Magnolia stellata, the Star Magnolia, which is far and above the best choice for smaller gardens where it should grow to 4 or 5ft after 10 years.

When planting it in the garden, tease out the roots so they spread fan-like in the soil, otherwise they are likely to grow in ever tighter circles and your pretty little tree will soon be a decidedly poorly and not-so-pretty little tree.

Magnolia stellata is a good choice for pots, where, given the right care, it will develop into a compact, well-shaped tree, gorgeous in bloom and also attractive in winter with its twig-like branches and velvet buds.

Its beautiful pure white flowers resemble stars and are lightly scented. After the flowers, light green leaves appear.

Magnolia Soulangeana is a large deciduous shrub or small tree with the fabulous pastel pink and white flowers which emerge on bare branches in spring.

This plant is commonly called the Saucer Magnolia and is known for being easy to grow, in comparison with some other magnolias.

It is relatively tolerant of wind and alkaline soils. This tree can grow up to 50ft and have a width of around 20ft.

But unless you have a fair amount of space, it’s best to keep away from M grandiflora because although it’s a stunning evergreen tree, with wonderfully fragrant blooms, it can grow to as high as 90ft.

Magnolia was valued before the advent of modern medicine as a tonic and a treatment for fevers and constipation.

The ancients must have been on to something, because recent laboratory studies have confirmed that both the leaves and seeds contain chemicals that can act as a muscle relaxant, anti-convulsive and sedative.