Several years ago (maybe a decade?), we were at the Sarah. P. Duke Botanical Gardens at Duke University and Chuck was absolutely delighted by the Big Leaf magnolias. So, of course, I went shopping.

I am a tightwad and refuse to pay more than $100 for a tree no matter how much I want it. This means that the trees I have bought have been on the small side. Usually in the vicinity of 6’/2m. So, the BLM wasn’t very tall. And the leaves and flowers haven’t been as dramatic as the huge specimens at Sarah P. Duke. But, as the trunk has grown, so have the leaves. From about the length of my forearm, they are now closer to the length of my whole arm.

A year after the BLM purchase, I encountered a sweet bay magnolia at a garden in Louisville, KY. It is directly opposite the Big Leaf. It has small leaves and little flowers. I have been pining for one a little bit. I think the the contrast would be delightful. But, I haven’t found one locally and my yearning has been unrequited.

At the time I was plotting and scheming for different sized leaves and blossoms in the front yard, I began wishing for a Southern magnolia in the back yard. It is the only evergreen magnolia and I love the fragrance of the flowers. It is also, very slow growing and they are so common that I felt ridiculous paying for one.

And the universe provided. A bird dropped a seed at the edge of the wooded mess in our back yard and it has flourished, through absolutely no fault of mine. It’s not very big. But, it was free and it’s coming along. It’s about 3’/1m tall.