Spring, along with fall, is a perfect season for planting new specimens. If your magnolia seems too boring for you outside of the flowering phase, you can spice it up with a few suitable planting partners. There are quite a few ideas for garden design under trees, but this proves to be a little more difficult with the magnolia bush. What plants do well under this tree and under these conditions? We list a few plants and flowers with which you can easily underplant the magnolia.
Optimal planting partner for the magnolia bush depending on the site conditions
In order for the new plants to feel comfortable under the tree, they should not only have the same site conditions as the magnolia itself. Additionally, the tree will cast some shade once the leaves are fully grown. So sun-loving strains are out of place here, depending on how much sun gets to the companions.
In addition to the location of the magnolia, you should also keep in mind that this beauty is a flat-rooted plant. The roots of the magnolia bush are therefore not far below the ground, which means that deep-rooted plants are not suitable as companions. Their roots just wouldn’t develop well enough. On the other hand, ground cover plants have the intrinsic property of protecting the soil beneath them from the hot sun and delaying drying out.
These are the rules when underplanting a magnolia:
- no deep-rooted plants, as the roots of these and the outdoor magnolia would interfere with each other
- very moisture-loving plants are unsuitable as partners, as they would take too much water from the also very moisture-loving magnolia and cause dry soil
- do not choose cultivars that like a lot of sun due to the shade the magnolia bush casts and the heavy foliage it sheds in the fall
- Plant species that ensure a moist and cool soil around the root system of the shrub are perfect
Underplant Magnolia – These flowers and plants are suitable as planting partners
You have the choice between different types of flowering plants such as ground covers and even one or the other low shrub as well as those that only show off their green color. Spring bloomers and summer bloomers offer a good selection of suitable companion plants, which you can use to create a small bed around the tree, so to speak. You can consider the following planting under trees and shrubs:
Ground covers and perennials under trees
Green and flowering plants under trees:
- Balkan-Storchschnabel (Geranium macrorrhizum)
- wild garlic (Bear garlic)
- squill (Scylla)
- Cranesbill (Geranium pea)
- ivy (Ivy helix)
- Funky (Hosta)
- Spotted Pigeon Nettles (Lamium maculatum)
- Small periwinkle (Vinca minor)
- Crocus (Crocus)
- lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis)
- Märzenbecher (Leucojum)
- snowdrop (Galanthus)
- foam blossom (Tiarella)
- Traubenhyazinthen (Muscari)
- Winterling (Eranthis)
If you have a magnolia variety that grows quite tall and is already fully grown, you can also use bushes or shrubs that grow a little taller if you want to plant the magnolia under. It is important that these also have shallow roots. In order for them to be able to cope with the shade of the treetop, the selected companion shrubs or bushes should also be typical forest plants.
How to underplant the magnolia without harming it
Even if you choose the plant species listed above, keep in mind that bordering a magnolia with planting partners is still not the best idea, as there will always be some competition between them. If you still want to plant your magnolia, follow these rules and proceed as follows:
- Never use picks or shovels to dig holes for planting. You will definitely injure the magnolia roots with this.
Instead of this:
- Apply a layer of mulch to the tree grate (the area above the root system).
- Use compost or bark mulch.
- The layer should be about 20 cm thick.
- Leave a distance of about 30 cm from the trunk. Don’t spread mulch there.
- Use the added layer to plant the new plants. This way they get a layer of soil that is only for them, so they don’t disturb the magnolia roots.
Mulch instead
If you just don’t like the look of the area around the magnolia trunk, you can design it in a different way that is gentler on the magnolia bush and avoid planting the magnolia underneath. A simple layer of mulch can change a lot and not only has its advantages aesthetically. A mulch layer also stores moisture, so that the water does not evaporate so quickly in hot summer. Of course, the magnolia, which does not tolerate drought, is particularly happy about this.
