I don’t know about y’all, but I am certainly ready for Spring to be on the calendar. With the past few days, with the temps in the 70’s in February, I will take that any day of the week. I love the South. I was riding around yesterday making deliveries and again today and I couldn’t help but notice all of the beautiful Tulip Tree’s around town and in the country. Fully loaded with blooms. They are more loaded this year than I have seen in a long time. Looks like they are going to hopefully get away from the usual cold freeze that we get every year and “boom” they are all dead and gone. I personally do not have one of these beauties but I talk about it every single year when I see how pretty they are. So, as I drove around town today I noticed that many people have them in their yards. So, after snapping a few pictures I thought I’d look up some information on them and share what I found. I come to realize that they have a couple of different names such as Saucer Magnolia (Magnolia x soulangeana), but I just like Tulip Tree. These beautiful trees burst into bloom with huge 6-8 inch blooms in February in varying shades of pink. I hear they have a lovely aroma as well, but I didn’t want to get arrested going into someone’s yard smelling their trees today. LOL. The Saucer Magnolia is a small, multi-trunked tree or shrub, very similar in size and shape to that of the Crape Myrtle. You can manipulate it to grow with one main trunk when young to be more like a tree. The tree typically grows 15-25 feet in height and can reach about 20 feet in width. Also, I was pleased to know that like the Crape Myrtle, the Saucer Magnolia will tolerate part sun, but does best in full sun. That’s good as my yard has lots of that. Due to its compact size and pest free, disease resistant nature, the Saucer Magnolia is a very good ornamental tree for small yards. I loved that pest free and disease resistant information too. The beautiful blossoms only last about 2-3 weeks and then the tree will develop thick, dark green leaves that will spread into a beautifully full and rounded canopy, lasting throughout the fall season. When the flowers are gone, seed pods will likely form. This makes great sustenance to songbirds during the fall months. The most commonly known magnolia in America is the Southern Magnolia. The Saucer Magnolia is happiest when planted in fertile, well drained soil that leans toward the acidic side, however it will tolerate clay soils as long as its receives consistent, moderate amounts of water. You may want to google how to plant and what to maybe use in your soil if you have some other type of soil. So, finally it is good to note, should you choose to seek out a Tulip Tree for planting, that there are many newly developed variations of this tree. Keep in mind some of the newer varieties tend to be a bit smaller in stature at maturity than the original hybrid. It is best to do your research on the different varieties before purchasing them and research what your soil may need as well. So, there you have it! That beautiful Magnolia Tulip Tree I think would be a perfect addition to my yard. What about you? I think I may be purchasing me one or maybe even two of these awesome beautiful trees. I’ll let you know how it goes. Until next time, Live your life in bloom! The picture with the house is in our beautiful town of Bishopville, SC Sent from my iPad