Magnolia x ‘Butterflies’ – Yellow Magnolia

This hybrid between our native Cucumber Magnolia (M. acuminata) and Yulan Magnolia (M. denudata) from China was created by the late, world-renowned Magnolia breeder, Phil Savage. While there are now, it seems, a kazillion different varieties of yellow magnolia, with new ones introduced each year, ’Butterflies’ is still considered one of the best, some 25 years after its introduction. The abundant, 4-5” flowers are a rich yellow and sit upright on the branches before the leaves appear. They cover the tree with a profuse bloom for about 7-9 days and have a light lemon oil aroma. Cold hardy to zone 5.