Though halfway down the slope of the rear garden, and with the view broken by Japanese maples, Kousa dogwood, and serviceberry (all budding but bare of leaves, of course), the tall ‘Merrill’ magnolia (Magnolia  x loebneri ‘Merrill’, below) flowers splendidly in March for whatever brief period until blooms are ruined by freezing temperatures. Days after its initial flowering, ‘Merrill’ is joined by the shorter ‘Royal Star’ (Magnolia stellata ‘Royal Star’) several paces further down slope, and while flowers of both are a highlight of the spring garden, good fortune rarely extends more than a few days until blooms are ruined or at least blemished by cold. Until this year.

With flowering delayed by several weeks and with no extreme cold forecast as March turns to April, I am expecting the best season of the early flowering magnolias in my thirty-six years in this garden. Occasionally, the tender blooms of one or another of the magnolias get through start to finish without cold damage, but typically most suffer damage at some point. Yes, it’s overly optimistic to think there will be no freezing temperatures over the month when the magnolias will flower, but we’re off to a good start.

‘Jane’ (Magnolia ‘Jane’) is the oldtimer amongst the garden’s small collection, and to my delight, its spreading branches now extend over a double wide section of driveway to meet the equally spreading ‘Seriyu’ Japanese maple (Acer palmatum ‘Seriyu’) halfway. Clearly, another success due only to longevity, and after early concerns, I no longer fret when an overhanging branch is ‘pruned’ by a delivery truck.

In any case, ‘Jane’ typically flowers a few weeks later than the two earliest magnolias, so it is damaged more rarely. The pale yellow ‘Elizabeth’ (Magnolia ‘Elizabeth’) flowers another week later, and I suppose it must be more exposed in this crowded garden since it is too often damaged while others are not. The yellow blooms on the huge ‘Elizabeth’ are particularly horrid when turned partially to brown, but close beside the road, it is glorious in most years.

The stronger yellow flowered ‘Yellow Bird’ (Magnolia x brooklynensis ‘Yellow Bird’) was planted a few years ago in the rear garden, and while its buds are plump, I haven’t the experience yet to gauge where it is placed in this flowering schedule. Similar to ‘Elizabeth’, another Cucumber magnolia cross (Magnolia acuminata), it has rapidly grown to become a substantial tree.

I am disappointed that in consecutive years, the upright growing ‘Daybreak’ (Magnolia ‘Daybreak’) has flowered sparsely. It has grown vigorously, but I presume it is too shaded by neighbors. I expect another year of rapid growth will provide the remedy as it rises above the shade.

Of course, there are more magnolias that will flower later in spring when cold is no longer a threat. Several evergreen Southern magnolias (Magnolia grandiflora) and the prized Bigleaf magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla) are the tallest. Two Sweetbay magnolias (Magnolia virginiana) demonstrate the extremes of dry shade and damp, full sun that this magnolia will tolerate, while the shrubby ‘Stellar Ruby’ (Magnolia figo ‘Stellar Ruby’) is the shortest and with the smallest flowers.

But today, I celebrate the large blooms of the early flowering magnolias. Delayed by a chilly winter, but worth the wait.