Magnolia Soulangeana Rustica Rubra

Magnolia Soulangeana Rustica Rubra is a well-loved pinky-red magnolia. It’s popular for general planting because it reliably flowers year upon year and grows in most soils. The cultivar Rustica Rubra is a seedling of Lennei – another attractive and compact magnolia that suits the UK.

Rustica Rubra is a deciduous pinky-red magnolia that blooms large cup-shaped, almost goblet-shaped, flowers in early spring from grey furry buds that develop over the colder months of the year. Its large flowers measure up to ten centimetres in width and range from pale pink to rosy red with paler colours usually on the outer petals. The blooms are highly fragrant and particularly attractive to pollinators. Flowers may turn into interestingly shaped fruit cones if the blooms are pollinated.  After the flowers have fallen large, vigorous and oval-shaped foliage appears along its branches. These leaves fall in autumn with the arrival of winds and frost.

This is a great choice of magnolia if you want a reliable shrub or tree with stunning flowers and knock-out scent early in the year when there’s not much else in bloom.

Height And Spread Of Magnolia Soulangeana Rustica Rubra
Magnoila trees tend to stay relatively compact and take decades to reach their maximum height and spread. Rustica Rubra will reach 20 metres by 20 metres in the right growing conditions but it is slow-growing and may take 20 years to reach that size.

How Hardy Is Magnolia Soulangeana Rustica Rubra
Hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters Rustic Rubra can withstand sub-zero temperatures if its roots are well-drained. It does not enjoy exposed windy conditions and frost may damage flower buds.

How To Use Magnolia Soulangeana Rustica Rubra
Magnolia Rustica Rubra is a specimen tree with its gorgeous sweetly-scented blooms. The large flowers are real eyecatchers and it looks stunning in a bare winter garden.

Front gardens are popular places to grow a magnolia tree and the back garden benefits from this early spring pop of colour and scent too. A wall-side border is a great place to grow Magnolia Rustica Rubra

Rustica Rubra doesn't take well to containers, and it doesn’t enjoy being moved so pick your planting spot with care.  

How To Care For Magnolia Soulangeana Rustica Rubra
Magnolia Rustica Rubra enjoys well-drained fertile soil that’s neutral or acid in ph but it will tolerate alkaline soils if you dig in plenty of garden compost and top it up with mulch each spring. To get the best from a magnolia shrub you should choose a spot that’s sheltered from winds and frosts which damage the buds and large blooms.
Magnolias enjoy sunshine and they flower all the better for warmth and light. If a late frost is forecast ensure you cover its buds with fleece.
Magnolia Rustica Rubra does not need pruning as grows in a pleasing shape but you can remove any dead, crossed or unwanted branches when the tree is in leaf.