Magnolia grandiflora 'Bracken's Brown Beauty' Magnolia
'Bracken's Brown Beauty' is a significant cultivar because, unlike the species, it is reliably winter hardy. It is a compact cultivar that typically grows to 30’ tall with a dense, narrow, pyramdial-oval crown, and produces flowers and leaves that are approximately one-half the size of those on species’ plants. Leathery evergreen leaves (to 7” long) are glossy dark green above and rusty-brown beneath, lending a bi-color appearance to the foliage. Fragrant, cup-shaped, white flowers (to 4-6” diameter) appear in late spring, with sparse continued flowering throughout the summer. Flowers give way to spherical cone-like fruiting clusters (to 3” long) that mature in late summer, releasing individual rose-red coated seeds suspended on slender threads at maturity.
Reliably hardy in Zones 7-9. Can be grown in Zone 6 if sited in a protected location. Plants may become somewhat deciduous in hard winters.
Height: 20.00 to 30.00 feet
Spread: 15.00 to 25.00 feet
Bloom Time: May to June
Bloom Description: White
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Leaf: Evergreen