Magnolia Week

At last the week of the magnolias is here. In the week of 2009 that begins with the Easter feast, two sorts are common in the gardens round about: Magnolia stellata and Magnolia liliflora. Pure white forms of M. stellata look good at dusk, but I prefer the mauve-tinged one at Pannsweg 9 pictured here. The Tulipa also come into fuller flower in week 2009/16 and the greening of the woods proceeds rapidly now. We are waiting for the next cherry blossoms. In Japan, Hanami or cherry blossom appreciation, is a topic of major news media interest, and there are web guides to what cultivar blooms at what time. As the Brooklyn Botanic Garden website notes, no single species or Prunus cultivar blooms continuously for more than a week, but succession can be achieved by planting many varieties: temperature, precipitation, and other variations of weather all contribute to early or late blooming and to the length of time that the blossoms linger.