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Sweetbay Magnolia

Magnolia virginiana

  • Creamy White Flowers
  • Late Blooming Flowers with Light Lemon Scent
  • Bright Scarlet-Red Seeds, Attracting Many Birds
  • Zones 5 to 9
  • Grows 10' to 20' with Equal Spread
  • Can't Ship To: AK, AZ, HI
Guaranteed Healthy Delivery
Item # 3786 | Shipping Height: 6" - 10"
*Mem. Price:$6.98
Reg. Price:$10.50
Quantity:

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Zones 5 - 9
Zones 5 - 9

Hardiness Zones: Zones 5 - 9
The Sweetbay Magnolia can be expected to grow in the zones shown in color in the arborday.org zone map.VIEW MAP

flowering tree
flowering tree

Type of tree:
The Sweetbay Magnolia falls into the following type(s): Flowering Trees, Shrubs

10' - 20' High
10' - 20' High

Mature Height:
The Sweetbay Magnolia grows to be 10' - 20' feet in height.

10' - 20' Spread
10' - 20' Spread

Mature Spread:
The Sweetbay Magnolia has a spread of about 10' - 20' at full maturity.

Medium to Fast Growth
Medium to Fast Growth

Growth Rate:
This tree grows at a medium to fast growth rate. [More about this.]

Multiple Exposures
Multiple Exposures

Sun:
This magnolia does well in full sun, partial shade.

Various Soils
Various Soils

Soil:
The Sweetbay Magnolia grows in acidic, loamy, moist, rich, sandy, silty loam, well drained, wet soils.

Columnar Shape
Columnar Shape

Shape:
This magnolia has columnar, vase shape.

More Info
More Info

The Sweetbay Magnolia has glistening dark green leaves with a silver underside that has a frosted appearance. The 2"-3" creamy white flowers have a light lemon scent and are visible in late spring and early summer. It is very elegantly shaped and is a good choice for a specimen or patio tree. Bright scarlet-red seeded fruit ripens in late summer attracting many birds. Prefers moist, acid soil with sun to partial shade. Grows 10'-20' high with equal spread.

Arborday.org Hardiness Zone Map
Spring Shipping Fall Shipping
Color Zone Approximate
Ship Dates 		Order
Deadline 		Approximate
Ship Dates 		Order
Deadline
  2 04/15–05/30 05/14 11/01–11/26 11/12
  3 04/15–05/30 05/14 11/01–11/26 11/12
  4 04/15–05/30 05/14 11/01–11/26 11/12
  5 04/15–05/30 05/14 11/01–11/26 11/12
  6 03/19–05/12 05/07 11/01–12/03 11/19
  7 03/11–05/07 04/30 11/05–12/10 11/26
  8 02/26–04/30 04/23 11/05–12/10 11/26
  9 02/26–04/30 04/23 11/05–12/10 11/26
  10 02/26–04/30 04/23 11/05–12/10 11/26
We're sorry, but this tree can't be shipped to AK, AZ, HI , territories, or countries outside the U.S. This is due to the agricultural laws within these locations.

When you order trees from The Arbor Day Foundation, your order is guaranteed to arrive in a good, healthy condition or we'll replace them at no charge. Your trees will be shipped at a suitable time for planting.

Each tree is guaranteed to grow, or we'll replace it at one half the original price, plus shipping and handling.

The benefits of bare-root trees

Our trees are delivered with natural bare roots which have been dipped in hydrating gel prior to shipment to keep the roots moist and healthy. As their abundant, fibrous roots aren't confined by a container, bare-root trees get off to a more vigorous start compared to containerized roots which typically need more time to adjust to transplanting. Bare-root trees typically surpass the size of larger containerized trees in only a few years.

  Standard Dwarf
  Mature
Height		 Space
Needed		 Mature
Height		 Space
Needed
Apple 20' - 25' 35' x 35'

10' **

 10' x 10' ++
Peach 20' 20' x 20' 8' - 10' 10' x 10'
Sweet Cherry 30' 20' x 25' 12' - 15' 10' x 10'
Sour Cherry 20' 20' x 20' 8' 10' x 10'
Pear 20' 20' x 20' 12' - 15' 12' x 12'
Apricot 20' 20' x 20'    
Plum 20' 20' x 20' 8' - 10' 10' x 10'
      ** semi-dwarf 12' - 15'
++ semi-dwarf 12' x 12'

Natural Root and Containerized Trees

Natural root (also called bare root) trees are shipped without soil around their roots. They are shipped when dormant in the spring and fall seasons. We dip the roots in a hydrating gel to keep them moist during shipping.

There are a number of advantages to natural root trees:

  • They are very affordable.
  • Their roots re-establish themselves well once they are planted in their permanent location.
  • They are easy to plant at the correct depth.

The Urban Horticulture Institute at Cornell University has an interesting article about the benefits of planting natural root trees. Look for the PDF entitled Creating the Urban Forest: The Bare Root Method

Potted (also called containerized) trees come in 4" containers.


If you have questions, please call (888) 448-7337 or E-mail Member Services.