Home >

Magnolia grandiflora 'Little Gem',
Little Gem Magnolia

The original parent tree of this cultivar was 42 feet tall in 1997. This cultivar will probably remain smaller than many other cultivars and will grow slower than many other magnolia cultivars. But it is not a small tree. This makes it well suited for maintaining as an espalier or tall hedge. Many growers find that this cultivar requires more fertilizer than others to maintain a full canopy.

Species occurs throughout north and central Florida south to Desoto County.

Southern Magnolia will thrive in a moist organic soil in full sun and hot conditions once established. Southern Magnolia prefers acid soil but will tolerate a slightly basic, even wet or clay soil. Select seedlings grown from trees in alkaline soil for planting in this high pH soils. The root system is wider spreading than most other trees, extending from the trunk a distance equal to about 4 times the canopy width. This makes it very difficult to save existing Magnolia trees on construction sites, and makes transplanted trees recover slowly. Some growers overcome this by digging from a field nursery in mid-summer - this appears to help them recover quicker than those transplanted in the dormant season. Dormant season dug trees often loose many interior leaves and canopies look quite thin for a period of years. Some growers dig only in winter. Field grown trees transplant best if root pruned regularly during the production period.

Tolerance to wet soils appears to be seed source dependent. Some trees die when exposed to sudden wet soil conditions following a heavy rain, others pull through with little apparent damage. I have also seen plants growing well on sandy dunes near the beach. Cultivars could be selected for tolerance to wet soil and drought. Trees tend to have a low failure rate meaning that branches break from these trees less often than from some other trees. This plant is considered mostly allergy free and causes little or no allergy problems in most people.