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Magnolia campbellii x M. liliiflora 'Nigra.' Martin Grantham, Emeryville, California,
made this cross in spring of 1992. The M. campbellii pollen was collected
from a flower at the Stribing Arboretum, San Fransisco (the parent tree
is reputed to be the first M. campbellii to flower in the United States).
Martin made the cross with the expectation of getting the large and
exotic blossom of M. campbellii without having to wait the ususal twenty
five years for a first flowering. Three of the resulting seedlings were
shared with Peckerwood Garden for testing in 1993. Two survived and
these two inherited the vigor of the M. campbellii parent. One is erect
in habit and approximately ten feet tall. The tree that produced two
ten inch by five inch flowers in late February, 2001 has a more open
growth habitat and is fifteen feet tall. There are many Magnolias at
Peckerwood Garden but no pure strain of M. campbellii. To my knowledge,
there are no M. campbellii in Texas. Many experienced Texas gardeners
have told me that it will not live in our climate. Martin's hybrids,
however, have not only survived our summers and extreme fluctuating
winter temperatures, but equally important to us, their large blue-green
leaves do not blister and turn brown in late summer like so many other
magnolias. |
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Magnolia denudata x M. sprengeri A chance seedling that was purchased from the late Lynn Lowery (Lowery Nursery, Conroe, Texas) in 1975. At that time, Lynn said that the seed were collected from a M. denudata that was growing among several M. sprengeri. This vigorous seedling first flowered in 1993. The large pale pink flowers emerge cup-like and then unfurl. Each petal is marked deep pink at the base and subtley turns to blush at the edge. Like its M. denudata parent, it is the earliest of our Magnolias to flower. The tree has reached a height of approximately fifteen feet. We think that the tree vigor, flower color, and form make these magnolias outstanding additions to the world of hybrids.
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