Spring, along with fall, is a perfect season for planting new specimens. If your magnolia seems too boring outside of the flowering phase, you can spice it up with a few suitable planting partners. There are a lot of ideas for garden design under trees, but with the magnolia bush this proves to be a little more difficult. Which plants thrive under this tree and these conditions? We list a few plants and flowers with which you can easily plant under the magnolia.
Optimal planting partners for the magnolia bush depending on the location conditions
In order for the new plants to feel comfortable under the tree, they shouldn't just be the same onesSite conditions like magnoliahave yourself. In addition, the tree will cast some shade once the leaves are fully grown. Sun-loving varieties are out of place here, depending on how much sun their companions get.
In addition to the location of the magnolia, you should also consider that this beauty is a shallow-rooted plant. The roots of the magnolia bush are not far below the ground, which means that deep-rooted plants are not suitable as companions. Their roots simply wouldn't be able to develop well enough. On the other hand, haveground cover plantsthe property itself of protecting the soil beneath them from the hot sun and delaying drying out.
These are the rules when planting a magnolia:
- no deep-rooted plants, as the roots of these and those of the outdoor magnolia would interfere with each other
- Very moisture-loving plants are unsuitable as partners because they would take too much water from magnolia, which is also very moisture-loving, and would cause dry soil
- do not choose varieties that like a lot of sun because of the shade the magnolia bush casts and the amount of foliage it sheds in the fall
- Plant species that ensure moist and cool soil around the roots of the shrub are perfect
Plant under magnolia – These flowers and plants are suitable as planting partners
You have the choice between different types of flowering plants such as ground cover and even theone or another low shrubas well as those that only boast green color. Spring bloomers and summer bloomers offer a good selection of suitable companion plants with which you can create a small bed around the tree, so to speak. You can consider the following planting under trees and bushes:
Ground cover and perennials under trees
Green and flowering plants under trees:
- Balkan cranesbill (Geranium macrorrhizum)
- wild garlic (Bear garlic)
- squill (Scylla)
- Brown cranesbill (Geranium pea)
- ivy (Ivy helix)
- hostas (Hosta)
- Spotted Pigeon Nettles (Lamium maculatum)
- Small periwinkle (Vinca minor)
- Crocus (Crocus)
- lily of the valley (Convallaria Majalis)
- March cup (Leucojum)
- snowdrop (Galanthus)
- foam blossom (Tiarella)
- Traubenhyazinthen (Muscari)
- Winterling (Eranthis)
If you have a type of magnolia that grows quite tall and is already fully grown, you can also use slightly higher-growing bushes or shrubs if you want to plant the magnolia underneath. It is important that these also have shallow roots. So that she can with thatShadow of the treetopTo be able to cope, the selected accompanying shrubs or bushes should also be typical forest plants.
How to underplant the magnolia without causing damage to it
Even if you choose the types of plants listed above, you should always keep in mind that surrounding 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 hoes or shovels to dig holes for planting. This will definitely injure the magnolia roots.
Instead:
- Apply a layer of mulchon the tree disk(the area above the root network).
- Use compost or bark mulch.
- The layer should be about 20 cm thick.
- Leave a distance of around 30 cm from the trunk. Do not spread mulch there.
- Use the piled up layer to plant the new plants. This way they get a layer of soil that is just for them, so they don't disturb the magnolia roots.
Mulch instead
If you simply don't like the look of the area around the magnolia trunk, you can design it in another way that is gentler on the magnolia bush and avoid planting the magnolia under it. Onesimple layer of mulchcan change a lot and not only has its advantages aesthetically. A layer of mulch also stores moisture so that the water does not evaporate as quickly in hot summers. Of course, the magnolia, which cannot tolerate drought, is particularly happy about this.
