Tree · North Texas care guide
Magnolia grandiflora 'Little Gem'
Nursery Pro tip: A Southern magnolia that fits a normal yard. Blooms young and often.
The Southern magnolia sized for a normal yard: 20–25 ft tall and only 10–12 ft wide, with the same glossy leaves (bronze underneath) and lemon-scented white flowers from May into fall. Evergreen, upright, and it blooms young.
Full sun to part shade; afternoon shade is welcome. Wants a bed with decent organic matter and drainage rather than the driest clay. Keep it 6 ft off the house — it's narrow but not that narrow.
Fall or spring. Dig wide, set the ball an inch high, backfill with native soil plus compost, Root Stimulator, and 3 inches of mulch — magnolia roots are shallow and love mulch.
Twice a week the first summer, weekly the second; established trees want a deep soak every week or two in the heat. Leaf drop in August means it's dry.
Acid-loving or magnolia fertilizer in early spring and again in early summer. In our pH, chelated iron and soil sulfur once a year keep the leaves dark green.
Right after the main bloom flush. Minimal — it naturally grows in a tidy column. Let the lower limbs stay to the ground if you want a screen.
Iron chlorosis (yellow leaves with green veins) — treat in spring. Scale on the leaf undersides — horticultural oil in winter. It drops some old leaves year-round; that's normal.
Screen along a fence 8 ft apart, or an evergreen accent by the front entry. Underplant with holly fern, liriope or Encore azaleas in the same acidified bed.
Written for Rockwall's black clay, heat and winters by the Landscape Source team. Every yard is different — bring a photo by, or ask LS-Ai, and we'll tailor it to your spot.