Magnolia White Caviar

Magnolia White Caviar (Magnolia laevifolia 'White Caviar', still widely sold as Michelia yunnanensis) is an evergreen magnolia that behaves like a hedging shrub. It reaches about 2.5m tall and 2m wide, with small glossy leaves and velvety chocolate brown buds that sit along the stems all winter before opening to fragrant white flowers in spring. Few plants give you a clipped evergreen screen and real perfume from the same shrub.

Why you'll love it

• Scent you notice from metres away. The white spring flowers carry a sweet, slightly fruity perfume across a courtyard or over a fence line.
• Evergreen and dense. Small leaves and tight branching make it one of the better magnolias to clip.
• The buds are half the appeal. Furry brown buds stud the stems for months before flowering.
• Right sized for a suburban block. At 2.5m by 2m it screens a fence line or a window without becoming a tree.
• Good for pollinators. Bees and butterflies work the flowers through spring.

Where it works best

Hedging and screening. Plant 1m apart in a single row for a dense hedge or screen. At that spacing they meet in two to three seasons and hold anywhere between 1.5m and 2.5m with two trims a year.

Feature planting. A single specimen near a door or seat puts the perfume where you will use it, and the shrub takes shaping into a rounded or standard form.

Pots and containers. A pot 500mm or wider suits it long term, holding the plant to about 1.5m. Container plants dry out quickly, so be honest about your watering.

Growing Magnolia White Caviar in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to part shade, with the heaviest flowering in sun. It suits subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens and is frost hardy once established, though young plants appreciate shelter through their first two winters. It is not a plant for the wet tropics or hot arid inland gardens.

Soil. Well drained, slightly acidic soil with compost worked through the bed. It resents waterlogging, so raise the planting position on heavy clay. Mulch 75mm deep and keep it clear of the stems.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then taper off as it becomes drought tolerant. Feed a complete slow release fertiliser in early spring and again in late summer to keep the foliage dark.

Pruning. Trim immediately after flowering, because next season's buds form on the growth that follows. A second light trim in late summer keeps a hedge crisp. It reshoots from older wood.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in three sizes: tube, a 250mm pack of three, and a 400mm pot. Tubes are young single stemmed plants and the value choice for a long hedge. The 250mm plants are the practical middle ground, and the 400mm arrives already branched with height on day one.

Plants travel upright and are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Expect a quiet few weeks after planting, then new growth within about six weeks in the warm months. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read the complete guide to magnolia care in Australia.
• Compare the small magnolia varieties suited to compact gardens.
• Browse the full magnolia range.
• See other hedging plants for the same job.

Common questions

How far apart for a hedge?

One metre apart in a single row. Any tighter and the plants compete without closing the gap sooner, which only makes watering and feeding harder.

Is it the same plant as Michelia yunnanensis?

Yes. The genus was reclassified, so the correct name is now Magnolia laevifolia. The plant is unchanged, and many nurseries still use the old label.

When does it flower and for how long?

The main flush is in spring, with scattered flowers at other times in mild gardens. Buds sit visible on the plant for months beforehand, so the display builds slowly.