Magnolia grandiflora 'Kay Parris' (Southern Magnolia)

'Kay Parris' is a compact, showy cultivar of Magnolia grandiflora, also called southern magnolia, that grows up to 20' tall with a straight trunk and a pyramidal growth habit. Foliage is thick, leathery, and glossy evergreen and spring to summer flowers are heavily scented, smelling of ginger or citrus. Blooms are creamy white in color and quite large. typically reaching 8-10" across. These bowl-shaped blossoms open in the morning and close at night, playing host to a number of pollinators including a variety of bees and beetles. Come late summer or fall, flowers are replaced with cone-like seedpods that contain large, bright red seeds that attract birds.

With its dense, compact habit, 'Kay Parris' is also considered to be one of the best evergreen magnolias, with leaves that remain attractive all through the winter. This cultivar's evergreen foliage is large and smooth, shiny deep green above and a velvety rust orange to brown underneath. 'Kay Parris' is not especially picky, requiring only medium to wet soils in full sun, where it will grow to become an excellent, not-too-large specimen tree.