My View of Life on the Dock
After nearly two solid weeks of planting client gardens in dismal drismal, what a welcome treatĀ to see Mr. Sunny make an appearance. SnapshotsĀ from yesterday’sĀ beautiful late day light.
Tulips in our garden
MagnoliaĀ ‘Elizabeth’
Schooner AdventureĀ masts and Gloucester’s UU Church steeple
Gloucester City skyline, click image to embiggen
Yesterday while visiting our daughter Liv we stopped briefly at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. We could not have come on a more perfect day to see both the magnolias and the cherry trees in the Japanese garden in full, spectacular bloom.
You may recall that in a previous “Top Five Magnolias” post I mentioned that Magnolia ‘Elizabeth’ was patented by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in 1977. She was first hybridized in 1956 and is named after Elizabeth Van Brunt, a patron of the garden.
Everyone was taking snapshots of Elizabeth!
Top Five Recommended Magnolias for Cape Ann Gardens
Magnolia āElizabethā
Photo Courtesy Liv
When Liv was attending Boston University I would often pick her up for lunch, and if the weather was fine, weād end up at the Arnold Arboretum. After a winter of wearying shades of gray and brown, imagine our shared delight in coming upon the lovely Magnolia āElizabeth.’ Not only is her beauty great, but sweet lemony scent, divine. Magnolia āElizabethā is a cross between Magnolia acuminata, the Cucumber Tree, a native to the eastern regions of the United States and Canada and the Yulan Magnolia (Magnolia denudata), native to China; both species are much appreciated for their heady fragrance.
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden patented Magnolia āElizabethā in 1977. I find the luminous primrose yellow blossoms much, much more preferable to the more common and relatively newer cultivar, Magnolia āButterflies.ā Besides,Ā M. āButterflies’ has comparatively ZERO scent.
Magnolia āElizabethā is pyramidal in habit with elegantly tapered buds, characteristic of its parent the Yulan Magnolia. I would grow the Yulan Magnolia in a heartbeat if only we lived in a slightly warmer climate because it is the most dreamily scented of all the magnolias; its parentage is what gives both Magnolia āElizabethā and the Saucer Magnolias their gorgeous fragrance.
Liv photo
Magnolia āElizabethā grows 20 to 35 feet and does best when sited in full sun in Cape Ann gardens. Magnolias like moist soil, but hate wet feet, in other words, they require excellent drainage.
Good Morning Gloucester 