PLANT PORN: MAGNOLIA

Words by Jessica Peace

The deciduous varieties of magnolia  are budding and bursting all over blighty right now, leaving a trail of the palest petals and a sweet scent in our streets.

NAMECHECK

Named after botanist hero and professor of medicine Pierre Magnol (1638 – 1715).

Magnolia conspicua; ‘conspicua’: ‘conspicuous’ - the show off.

THE ROOTS

China: In ancient China the magnolia flower signified the feminine, the beautiful and the gentle.

RATING

Attention seeker

THE DEETS

Sun loving, heavy drinking, acid house lover. You can plonk a young one in a container if you don’t have a garden but give it room for those lovely limbs.