Star Magnolia Magnolia stellata

Slow, compact and usually multi stemmed, star magnolia makes a rounded shrub or small tree, often a little wider than it is tall, that suits a small front garden, a corner bed or a large pot, and it flowers young instead of making you wait years. In late winter, before any leaves, the bare branches carry soft grey furred buds that open into white, star shaped flowers with a light, sweet scent. Each flower is made of a dozen or more narrow, strap like tepals, so the effect is lacy and open rather than the heavy goblet of the bigger magnolias.

It is also one of the earliest magnolias to bloom, which is both the appeal and the risk. A run of mild days brings the flowers out while frosts are still likely, and a hard frost on open blooms browns them overnight. The plant itself is very cold hardy and comes to no harm; only that season's display is lost. In frosty districts, keep it out of frost hollows and open east facing beds where the first sun strikes frozen petals; a spot sheltered by a building or the high canopy of established trees, out of both early winter sun and hot summer afternoon sun, suits it best.

Cool winters and acid soil

Star magnolia comes from Japan and is a cool climate plant. It flowers most reliably where winters are properly cold: Melbourne, Canberra, the Adelaide Hills, the Southern Highlands and the tablelands of New South Wales and Victoria. In Sydney it grows but flowers less freely, and on the humid subtropical coast it struggles to get the chill it needs, so in Queensland the Darling Downs and the Granite Belt suit it far better than Brisbane. Full sun to part shade works, but in hot, dry districts give it afternoon shade, because the thin leaves scorch in western sun.

Soil should be slightly acidic, free draining and rich in organic matter. Water it deeply through dry summer spells under a thick layer of mulch, and keep it off lime and out of clay that holds water through winter, both of which leave the plant yellow and sulking.

Slow growth and a bed left undug

Because it stays small it usually ends up in a mixed bed, and that is the risk: its roots sit just under the mulch, so give it a patch that is never dug over or replanted. Growth is slow, which is a strength in a small garden: it will not outgrow its spot quickly, and choosing a larger pot size gives a fuller first spring. Pruning is rarely needed. Take out dead or crossing wood just after flowering, and leave the outline alone, since a bush cut back all over is slow to refill from older wood. One light feed as the flowers fade is enough; a slow plant pushed with fertiliser only makes soft growth. Pests rarely trouble it.

Star, saucer or evergreen

Choose by space and climate. Saucer Magnolia is the bigger, broader deciduous option, with large rosy goblets a little later in the season, and it needs a good deal more width. Fairy White Magnolia suits warmer gardens where star magnolia lacks winter chill, and it keeps its leaves all year, so it can also be grown as a hedge. Where winters are cold and room is short, plant star magnolia; a single early flush of white on bare wood is the point. Compare flower colours across Magnolias, and the guide to magnolias in Australian gardens covers siting the deciduous types.

Choosing a size

This plant is available in 3 sizes, from 300mm up to 500mm, priced from $159.00 to $339.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Every size here is established stock rather than a starter plant, so this line is intended for immediate effect rather than for growing on. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to choosing a magnolia.