Magnolia x brooklynensis 'Black Beauty'

Magnolias require little pruning other than to maintain their shape and remove damaged stems or crossing stems. Do this as soon as possible after flowering to keep the flower buds for the following year.

When planting, choose your site carefully as magnolias dislike being moved.

Magnolia plants establish quicker when their roots are shaded so apply a mulch of rotted bark chips, manure or garden compost after planting, taking care not to mound it around the stem of the plant.

• Plant magnolias in a sunny or semi shaded position with protection from cold winds and spring frosts.
  Magnolias prefer a rich, moist, well drained, acid to neutral soil so incorporate plenty of well-rotted manure or garden compost to improve the soil prior to planting.
• On receipt, soak the roots in water for at least 2 hours. If you can't plant straight away, they should be fine for up to a week if left in a cool, dark, frost-free place - keep the bag around the roots with some water inside.
• Don't worry if the roots have been cut quite harshly - this is done to encourage the plant to grow.
  Dig a hole 2x the width of the roots, forking over the bottom to loosen the soil, and add some good quality fertiliser such as Blood Fish & Bone.
• Aim to plant at the same depth as the soil mark on the trunk.
• Holding the tree or plant upright in position, backfill the hole with soil, and gently shake the plant, so the soil falls back around the roots.
• Use your heel to compact the soil around the plant to ensure good contact around the roots.
• If you're planting into pots, place some old rocks, stones or gravel in the bottom of the pot for drainage and ballast and use the best compost you can buy - an equal mix of ericaceous compost with John Innes No. 3 is ideal.
• For all trees, we highly recommend using our Tree Planting Kit. Push 40cm of each stake into the soil next to each tree.
• With the soft tie, make a figure of eight around both the trunk and stake, and fasten it off.
• Spread the Mycorrhizal fungi on the roots and in the soil when planting and ensure that it is in close contact with the roots.
• Water the plants weekly - especially in dry weather - for the first 8 weeks or so - do not allow plants to dry out in the first 4 months after planting.
  

Please allow us 3-5 working days to dispatch your order. Pre-ordered items will be sent as soon as possible after the date quoted and we'll generally ship your entire order with your pre-ordered items. When your order is dispatched, we'll send you another email with details of how to track it.

Most orders are sent on a fully-tracked courier service with Yodel. To avoid perishable items being stuck at depots and deteriorating, no signature is required, and our courier is asked to leave your order in a safe place on your property.

We'll send a tracking link when we dispatch your order, so you know when its due to arrive. Please note, once delivered we cannot be held responsible for loss or theft from your property. If you have any specific delivery instructions, please let us know - there's an option to enter a short message for the courier at the checkout.

Smaller, lighter, single-item orders may be sent through the post with Royal Mail - in which case no tracking is available.

Our experienced nursery team will always send your plants nursery fresh in the perfect condition to thrive when you plant them, so although most plants are very tough and will not be affected by all but the most extreme frosts or heatwaves, we avoid dispatching the most perishable plants if extreme weather is forecast, or over Bank Holiday weekends.

Please note, we cannot guarantee delivery on a certain day or time. Delivery to outlying postcode areas may take 1-2 days longer, dependent on your location.