‘Butterflies’ magnolia: one of our favorite plants

For many plant lovers, certainly the more obsessive among us, our plants are like our children. We care for them, watch them grow, wish for the best outcomes as they age, and hope they eventually reach a level of maturity where we can sit back and appreciate what they’ve become without requiring our daily guidance and intervention. Unlike with our children, however, it’s socially acceptable to have favorite plants. One of our favorites here at the Pitt County Arboretum is just about to do what it does best, bloom triumphantly and kick off spring!

This favorite of ours is the ‘Butterflies’ magnolia, a deciduous, flowering tree with tulip-shaped, creamy-yellow blossoms. Why is this a favorite rather than any of the other multitudes of spring blooming magnolias?  Well, they’re all great in their own ways, of course. Magnolia grandiflora, the Southern magnolia, is an iconic stately tree of the South, and gorgeous in bloom. However, its tremendous size (60-80’ tall) makes it difficult to fit into most modern landscapes. Some compact cultivars, such as ‘Little Gem,’ ‘Teddy Bear,’ and ‘Bracken’s Brown Beauty,’ are more appropriately sized, but arguably none is as magnificent as a full-sized Southern magnolia. Magnolia stellata, the star magnolia, and Magnolia x soulangeana, the saucer magnolia, are both early bloomers that can be absolutely immaculate in full bloom. However, the tender flowers are extremely cold-sensitive, and are often damaged by cold temperatures, greatly diminishing their ornamental value.

Top photo in middle: 'Butterflies' magnolia trees in bloom. Blossoms come out in mid-March and last for about 10-14 days. Photo: A. Stidham, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Above-left photo: Leaf arrangement. M. Hansen, CC-BY-SA 2.0 Above-right photo: Close-up of a 'Butterflies' magnolia flower.  Photo: M. Hansen, CC-BY-SA 2.0

‘Butterflies’ is a bit more cold-tolerant than the saucer and star magnolias. Thus, when ’butterflies’ blooms, the flowers are less likely to be damaged by ill-timed frosts. It’s also a more manageable size in the landscape than the Southern magnolia. The shape of the flowers is most similar to saucer magnolia, but the individual blooms are larger and slightly more open, creating a stunning visual impact. Flowers are lightly lemon-scented.

Here in the Arboretum, our specimen typically begins to bloom in mid-March, a week to ten days after Magnolia stellata. Bloom lasts about 10-14 days and is truly worth seeing. It appears on track to be in flower just in time for our first Northside Plant Walk of 2025, scheduled for today at 12 noon. Often ‘Butterflies’ will grow to a height of 15-20’ tall with a slightly lesser spread. Because our specimen is planted in close proximity to some other trees, it is slightly more shrub-like, wider than it is tall, but the flowering remains prolific.

‘Butterflies’ is a hybrid cross of parent plants Magnolia denudata ‘Sawada’s Cream’ and Magnolia acuminata ‘Fertile Myrtle.’ In addition to the flower shape and color, it inherits from its parents a large leaf with a distinctive shape. Each leaf is 6 inches long, and 3-6 inches wide, narrow at its base and widest close to the tip, with wavy margins. Though not as tall as a typical shade tree, the large leaves and density of the foliage can create a fair amount of shade. The leaves are not as thick and glossy as Southern magnolia leaves, so they decompose a bit quicker after falling and aren’t quite as messy. They also have a fairly attractive fall color, a pale-yellow, which is not a trait one normally associates with magnolias. All in all, ‘Butterflies’ does a lot to stand out and earn its distinction as one of our favorites.
 
Matthew Stevens is the County Extension Director and Horticulture Agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s Pitt County Center. If you have questions about this article or gardening in general, please contact the Pitt County Extension Master Gardeners at [email protected] or 252-902-1705.