Magnolia Susan is a slow-growing, compact deciduous shrub or small tree with a bushy, rounded outline. Its oval to ovate mid-green leaves reach about 15 cm long and develop yellow-bronze color before falling in autumn.
Long reddish-purple buds open in April and May into fragrant upright cup- to goblet-shaped flowers. Each flower has six slightly twisted tepals, with deep red-purple outer faces and paler pink inner faces; a light repeat bloom may appear in summer.
Grow this magnolia in organically rich, moist but well-drained acid to neutral soil in full sun or partial shade. Shelter it from cold winds, mulch the root zone, water during dry periods, avoid disturbing its fleshy shallow roots and prune only when necessary after flowering.
