Tiptoeing through the tulip trees
By Carole Kelly
The Japanese magnolias – or tulip trees – at Mississippi College have long enchanted me with the early beautiful cluster of white-to-pink-to purple blooms. The Clinton Courier and the Happy Gardeners choice of the trees as the January yard of the month is perfect as the December seasonal decorations disappear from doors, porches and lawns.
One problem each year sending fellow tulip tree-lovers and me into a spin: the chilling effect of 20- to 30-degree weather as the buds threaten to burst into bloom. It’s frustrating to wait for fifty weeks for this display and then have a cold spell nip them in the bud, literally.
Technically speaking, magnolia liliiflora, the scientific name, is a small tree native to southwest China but cultivated for centuries elsewhere in China and also Japan—and Clinton. Looking into the history of the trees in their Clinton location, I checked with Glenn Worley, director of MC’s Facility Planning Department, who shared from campus records that the trees were planted around 1996-97.
Driving through the MC campus praying for the buds to restrain from blooming as the cold weather approached, my driving, stopping, and turning around in the middle of tulip-tree streets brought the watchful eyes of MC Security upon me.
Security Officer Gregory Travis seemed to be understanding, as I explained my chagrin over the approaching cold weather threatening the buds and blooms. I don’t think he and Glenn took seriously my suggestion of fetching tents, tarpaulins and sheets to cover the trees. It was not deemed a feasible plan. Pity.
As the cold front threatened the area, replacing the warm December days that encouraged the buds and blooms, I was trying to capture the moment with photos, as petals fell to the ground. The next step was getting a count, so I enlisted the help of Marilyn Disepo, a 2021 recipient of the Courier yard of the month (August), to help.
Driving around the campus, armed with camera, pad and pen, our result showed nine trees around Cockroft Hall; five at Self Hall; three at Aven Fine Arts; and five at the MC Library, for a glorious 22 Japanese magnolias or tulip trees. When not threatened with cold and frost, they display large and showy flowers arrayed in a variety of colors, including white, lavender-pink, rose-purple, and dark reddish purple. Breathtaking.
Dan Gill, LSU AgCenter horticulturist and Times-Picayune gardening columnist, defined this favorite as “…one of the more beautiful of our early spring-flowering trees. The Japanese magnolia opens its fat, furry flower buds in February before the foliage emerges. Unlike the native Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), the Japanese magnolia is deciduous and drops its leaves in winter. The flower blooming on a leafless tree makes for an especially beautiful display.”
So much for the February blooming. Now we await the green foliage and think, “Wait till next year.” Mike Canoy, formerly with the MC Facility staff, confirmed that the wintry weather had affected not only the tulip trees but would also disturb many of the early spring azalea buds, as well.
My love of the tulip tree goes back a number of years, when I stepped into a hole in my “back 20,” and ended up with a sprained ankle. Crawling away, calling for help and x-rays and wrapping, the next step naturally was what to do with that hole. I didn’t want to just fill it up, so I got a tulip tree; and, after the sprain was gone, Miller Brown planted the tulip tree. (Many persons will remember Miller Brown, may he rest in peace, the soft-spoken, very helpful gardener to many in the area.)
The tree has flourished and is my prize. It blooms later than the MC beauties, maybe because of its sheltered location in the “back 20.” But it’s my pride and joy – and a memorial to Miller.
