In What Month Does the Magnolia Bloom in Ohio?

Cucumbertree

• One of the most common magnolia species in Ohio is the cucumbertree (Magnolia x acuminata), growing in USDA zones 4 through 8. With leaves about 10 inches long and 5 inches wide, cucumbertrees are relatively cold-hardy, notes the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. They grow up to 70 feet tall, 30 feet wide and bloom in late May, sprouting small, greenish-yellow bell-shaped flowers. Cucumbertrees grow best in well-drained, slightly acidic soil.

Sweetbay Magnolia

• Sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia x virginiana) is small to midsized, growing up to 20 feet tall and 15 feet wide in USDA zones 5 through 9. It develops into a single-trunk shrub or a multitrunk tree, preferring full sun or partial shade. Leaves are dark green on top and silvery-green on the bottom. Healthy sweetbay magnolia plants in Ohio produce lightly scented, off-white flowers from late May through June.

Star Magnolia

• Susceptible to springtime frosts, star magnolias (Magnolia x stellata) grow into large shrubs or smaller, multitrunk trees in USDA zones 4 through 8. They prefer full to partial sunlight. Foliage is medium to dark green, turning chartreuse by November. In the winter, trees produce long, fuzzy buds that burst into slightly scented flowers of white and light pink, usually beginning in April. Flowers, about 3 or 4 inches long, last about a week before leaves emerge. Ohio’s March or early April frosts can brown or kill the star magnolia tree flowers. Trees often produce a few new blooms in summer and late fall.

Saucer Magnolia

• Saucer magnolias (Magnolia x soulangiana) produce large, fuzzy winter buds that bloom in March and early April in USDA zones 4 through 9. The tree’s large flowers are purple-pink on the outside and white on the inside. Spring frosts can brown or kill flowers, which can be 5 inches wide. Saucer magnolia trees grow about a foot a year in Ohio and can reach up to 30 feet tall. They prefer full sun or partial shade. Southern exposures may prompt the tree to bloom earlier than normal, notes Clemson University Extension.

Tuliptree

• Part of the Magnolia family, the tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera) grows all around the state of Ohio and other areas in USDA zones 4 through 9. With yellow-green and orange tulip-shaped flowers and foliage, trees reach from around 80 to more than 125 feet high. Leaves open in the spring, bringing flowers by mid-June. Tuliptrees prefer moist soil and are best transplanted in early spring. Green foliage turns yellow and gold in the fall.