To me, the star magnolia doesn’t look like twinkling stars, but rather a sea full of dancing jellyfish, slowly opening their petals to the sun.  They appear static, yet they hint at movement.  This plant is spring itself, flying into the garden, rushing before the April showers and lightly drifting into May. The sweet blossom has a most delicious scent.  It does it’s job well as an attractor, pulling us busy-bees in close for a nose full of pollen.  I love the way this deciduous tree blooms before the leaves appear, making the flowers even more striking as they last for 10-20 days. Some varieties of Magnolia stellata are pure white, like Royal Star, while others have shades of pink, such as Waterlily, Centennial Blush and Chysanthemiflora.

Just The Facts
Magnolia stellata  or Star Magnolia
Height 15-20 feet (4.5-6m) Width 10-15′ (3-4.5m) Slow growing
Dense oval to rounded, large shrub or small tree
Grows best in full sun to light shade
Flowers in early spring, before Magnolia x soulangeana
Zones 4-8, extremely adaptable to temperature and soil type
Prune lightly or it will continually send up watersprouts