Magnolia ‘Butterflies’
Outside our kitchen window looms Magnolia ‘Butterflies’––a cherished yellow-flowered magnolia that truly announces the arrival of spring. This year’s annual blooming is literally like time-lapse photography in the Northeast’s unseasonal April heat, not much time to relish the 3- to 4-inch, buttery lemon-yellow flowers with red stamens that resemble swarms of butterflies spreading their wings. They perfume the air with a heady fragrance so characteristic of the season.
Magnolia ‘Butterflies’ forms a small tree, ultimately to 25-feet tall with an upright central leader. It is a cross between the native cucumber tree (Magnolia acuminata) and a cultivar of the Yulan magnolia (Magnolia denudata ‘Sawada’s Cream’)––the magnificent work of magnolia breeder Phil Savage.
My fondness for magnolias of all types really accelerated during my 8-year tenure at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. BBG introduced the first yellow-flowered magnolia ‘Elizabeth’ to great horticultural fanfare. Other yellows have followed including ‘Yellow Bird’, ‘Hattie Carthan’, ‘Lois’, and most-recently ‘Judy Zuk’––all finding homes in the gardens at Loomis Creek.
Culture: Moist, well-drained soils in sun or partial shade. Magnolia flowerbuds are susceptible to late-season frosts in the Hudson Valley, so site them in sheltered areas where they have a warmer advantage. Hardiness: USDA Zone 5.
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