This is a photo of my Magnolia stellata. It was given to me as a present for my birthday in 2012. It was a tiny thing and, I guess, it still is! But it has bushed out quite a bit and put on a good show of leaves this past year. It didn't flower, but being so small I hadn't expected it to. But this year as the leaves dropped one by one, I began to notice these little buds.
I'm very much hoping that they are flower buds. The flower buds are fuzzy, allowing the bud to insulate itself from the worst of the cold weather. This is important because the tree flowers before producing foliage. Stellata roughly means star and the common name for this magnolia is the star magnolia. It produces lovely flowers reminiscent of stars with both the petals and sepal being white.
So all of those leaves that I enjoyed seeing this year and put all of their energy into producing these flower buds. I hope that they manage to survive the winter, which in the UK hasn't really started yet.
Either way, for me, it's the promise of good and positive things to come.
I hope you all have a very Happy Christmas and New Year.
Thanks for reading for my blog.
Oh yes, I think your Magnolia flower buds will survive your winter if they survive my climate. And yours will probably bloom much earlier. I don't have a Star Magnolia in my garden, but I admire several in the neighborhood. When the Magnolias bloom, it's truly spring here. Beautiful photo!
ReplyDeleteHi Beth, nice to hear from you. I thought it best to be tentative about the buds as it's my first year of them - but as you say I'm sure they'll survive! Can't wait for these flowers - they're such a delight.
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