Magnolia 'Joli Pompon'

In April 1995, Philippe de Spoelberch crossed the flowers of Magnolia 'David Clulow' with pollen of Magnolia sprengeri var. elongata. Both parents are very floriferous and this is clearly also true for Magnolia 'Joli Pompon' with the added advantage that the flowers are less susceptible to frost damage. In 2004, the best plant from the hybrid batch was named 'Joli Pompon' because of the numerous enlarged petaloid stamens; they create a beautiful pompom in the middle of the flower. On some years, this pompom remains on the tree long after the tepals have fallen, making for a spectacular sight: like funny pink paint brushes on a tree. The mother tree was cut to the ground by frost early in its life and grew back to become a beautifully upright multi-trunk tree (15 m high with its crown 6 to 8 m wide). The firm but elegant, snow-white flowers appear in late March - early April.