Magnolia stellata 'Centennial Blush' (star magnolia)

Centennial Blush magnolia puts on a heavy flower show. The flowers are blush pink and fragrant like nice Italian soap. Each flower has a double row of petals so that it looks like a porcelain powder puff or (dare we say?) a chrysanthemum, like those in a Japanese print.

Dr. Michael Dirr, who bred the plant when at the University of Georgia, counted 50 to 60 tepals per flowers. That's a lot of tepals! Aside: magnolia "petals" are botanically called "tepals".

We are roused back to life when we see Centennial Blush flowering in the heart of winter. It's one of the first trees to flower every year - February in North Georgia, along with or just ahead of all the other early birds like saucer magnolia.

If you're looking for Centennial, this is a seedling of that cultivar and is a good replacement, due to its showier nature. It's a newer tree, so don't know ultimate size yet, but at estimated 20' tall it may be a little shorter than its parent.

Centennial Blush star magnolia is another First Editions® plant developed in Georgia.

• if you get the winter blues this one will help pull you through with its winter flowers
• it's one of the first trees to flower in winter even slightly ahead or at the same time as M. x soulangiana
• very showy winter flowers - you won't miss them
• small tree making it ideal for smaller spaces
• one of the smallest magnolia trees making it ideal for smaller yards

• fragrant flowers