The Transformation and Trials of Magnolia "Susan"

The peak of magnolia season has come and gone. In my garden, Magnolia "Susan" spends the colder days of early spring wrapped tightly in fuzzy buds covered in fine silver-grey hairs.

A Magnolia "Susan" bud warm in 
her fur coat

Soon, she is teasing me with hints of what is to come, as her buds break open to reveal the beginnings of a dark purple bloom stubbornly clenched tight against cool spring days.

A hint of colours to come on Magnolia "Susan"

The true drama of her rich and vibrant colours is soon revealed as the sun grows stronger.

Magnolia "Susan" begins to unfurl

Magnolia "Susan" takes her time to fully open

Finally, Susan is ready for her grand finale, opening fully to reveal enormous flowers of twisted pink and purple tepals. She is spectacular—the centre of attention in the garden.   

Magnolia "Susan" in full bloom

The slow transformation—from fur-wrapped buds to gargantuan blooms—takes about a month. For a flowering tree that seems to take such care in slowly unveiling its fullest extravagance, the end comes rather quickly. Perhaps the effort of the build-up to this moment proves to be too much. Perhaps it is the shifting of attention to mass plantings of tulips, camassia, and bearded iris that are waiting to steal the spotlight. Whatever it is, "Susan" drops her showy flowers after just a few short weeks and leaves a mess of brown, decaying blossoms that need to be cleaned up.

Magnolia "Susan" drops her blooms
and leaves a mess

As I watched "Susan" through her various stages this spring, I wondered what she might be like if she were a person. The result was this poem.

Susan

I met Susan as she waited

to make her debut

A genteel lady

refined and unassuming

The definition of demure

Or, so I presumed

The fur wrapped around her shoulders

should have been a clue

It screamed

Look at me

She was captivating in purple silk

sharing stories of travels to Asia

Basking in the attention  

until the pressure of the performance 

exposed a small crack

Or, so I pretended

Her search for validation

disclosed a gaping chasm

the dormant hazard of self-doubt

I knew Susan until she fell apart

Magnolia "Susan" in snow during an
early spring storm

Happy Gardening!