Magnolia x brooklynensis ‘Black Beauty’

Stunning near-black, tulip-like flowers, the darkest on any magnolia! Actually, the flowers are a very dark purple with chalk-white interiors that serve to highlight the dark exteriors. A new edition to the garden this spring that has been on my ‘must have’ list for several years.

Better yet for the zone 5 garden, flowers appear in late April and through much of May making it less vulnerable to late spring frost.  Finally, M. x brooklynensis, a hybrid of M. acuminata and M. liliiflora is one of the hardiest garden hybrids and easily tolerates temperatures of -20°F without damage.