Fairy Cream Michelia

Fairy Cream Michelia (Magnolia 'Fairy Cream') is the hedge that flowers. It reaches about 2.5m tall and 1.5m wide, stays dense right down to ground level, and covers itself in fragrant cream blooms through late winter and spring, when very little else is performing. Bred by Mark Jury, it is compact enough for a small garden and neat with one trim a year.

Why you'll love it

• Scent you notice from the path. The cream flowers are strongly fragrant and open in late winter, weeks before the garden wakes up.
• Dense to the ground. It branches low and holds its leaves at the base, so a hedge has no thin gap along the bottom.
• Small garden proportions. At 2.5m by 1.5m it screens a fence line or a window without crowding a courtyard.
• Evergreen and low fuss. Glossy foliage all year, wind tolerant, and content with a single shear after flowering.

Where it works best

Hedging and screening. Plant 1m apart in a single row. At that spacing the plants knit into a solid flowering hedge within two seasons, and each one still fills out from the base.

Pots and courtyards. A pot 500mm or wider holds it at around 2m. Potted plants dry out faster and need watching through summer, but the reward is scent right beside a door.

Feature planting. A single plant shapes well as a rounded shrub, and a matched pair works either side of an entry.

Growing Fairy Cream Michelia in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the heaviest flowering, or part shade with a looser habit and fewer blooms. It suits subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens, and handles wind and humidity well. Light frost is tolerated once established, so protect young plants through their first two winters in a frosty district.

Soil. Well drained and slightly acidic, with compost worked through the bed. Like all magnolias it hates waterlogging, so mound the planting position on clay and keep 75mm of mulch clear of the stems.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then taper off. Feed a controlled release fertiliser in early spring after flowering and again in late summer to build the buds for next season.

Pruning. Trim straight after flowering, before the new buds set. One shear a year holds a hedge at height, and tip pruning from planting is what gives you density early.

What to expect when it arrives

Three sizes are grown: 200mm in packs of six, 250mm in packs of three, and 300mm singles. The 200mm and 250mm plants are the sensible buy for a hedge run, since you need several and they establish quickly. A 300mm plant is already branched and gives you a shrub with presence on day one.

Plants are packed to travel upright, and a little leaf drop in the first fortnight is normal. Expect a quiet month, then new growth through the warm season. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The complete guide to magnolia care in Australia
• Browse the full magnolia range
• Compare screening plants from 2m to 4m
• More fragrant plants for the garden

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

One metre apart in a single row. Closer than that and the plants compete without closing any faster, and watering and feeding become harder to get right.

Is it a michelia or a magnolia?

Both names are correct. Michelia was folded into the genus Magnolia by botanists some years ago, so you will see this plant sold under either name. The plant is the same.

Can I grow it in a pot?

Yes. Use a pot at least 500mm wide with real drainage, and expect it to settle at around 2m rather than 2.5m. Repot or root prune every three to four years.