Trees provide the structure in this tree-packed garden. They’ll be here forever, or at least for decades. Until they’re not, and sadly, today the cherished Bigleaf magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla) is gone. In fact, it’s still here, but it’s lying on the ground with its roots above ground.

I remember the day. It was mid-July thirty-some years ago and Ted (long-time traveling partner) and I were bouncing through the fields in Michael Hobbs’ pickup at his nursery just outside McMinnville, Tennessee. Our job was to purchase trees for our garden centers. Michael’s was to sell us trees, but also, I think, to hit every bump and hole in his grassy fields.

We were evaluating dogwoods, maples, oaks, and redbuds, the standard fare grown by Michael and his neighbors in this tree-growing capital of Tennessee. But in the distance, I spied a lone tree. I wondered aloud what it was. Michael replied that it was a bigleaf magnolia, not typically available, and I knew I had to have it.

Trees are not dug in midsummer, so I waited. I don’t recall if the magnolia came on the autumn or spring deliveries, but it was planted in the mostly bare side yard between the house and forest. This was the start of the side garden in our new home.

And there it grew, and while the magnolia was the first it was not the last tree planted to create the continuous green canopy from the house to the forest. And now there’s a hole, which could be welcomed in bringing more sunlight into this shaded space, but at a tremendous cost.

Barbara and I were returning home from a nearby hike on the Appalachian Trail when the storm hit. On a lower-elevation trail I monitored the storm, ready to cut our hike short, but miraculously the storm split to veer just north and south until our final two miles. We drove home through torrential rain but hit a dry spot as we neared our home. Then, the storm hit. 

I didn’t think that winds were any stronger than a typical thunderstorm, but the rain fell in buckets. I was happy to see it, but a few hours later Barbara looked out the side window and wondered what tree had fallen. I ran outside to discover the magnolia and a nearby maple in the forest had fallen.

The magnolia crushed a colony of sweetshrubs (Calycanthus floridus), but I think it avoided most everything else. Falling a few degrees in another direction could have been disastrous, but now I’m only heartbroken to lose this favorite magnolia. I expect the sweetshrubs will lose some branches, but they’ll survive, so the tree fell in the perfect direction.

Now, once the sun comes out the clean-up begins, then a replanting. I haven’t begun to consider what might be planted, but that’ll come soon enough. I accept that the garden will change. There will be a few tragedies mixed with its neverending joys. Today was the end for the bigleaf magnolia that brought joy to this garden for decades.