Little Gem Southern Magnolia

Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’

Plant Details

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 7a-10a Find Your Zone

Plant Type: Evergreen Flowering Tree

Height at Maturity: 20-25′

Width at Maturity: 8-10′

Spacing: 6′ for solid hedge; 14’+ for space between plants

Growth Habit / Form: Conical, Dense, Upright

Flower Color: White

Flower Size: Large, 6-8″

Flowering Period: Late Spring to Frost!

Flower Type: Single

Fragrant Flowers: Yes – extremely fragrant!

Foliage Color: Dark Green, Copper-orange undersides

Fragrant Foliage: No

Sun Needs: Full Sun or Mostly Sun, Morning Sun with Dappled or Afternoon Shade, All Day Filtered Sun, Morning Shade with Evening Sun

Water Needs: Average, Low when established

Soil Type: Clay (amended), Loam, Sand (amended), Silt

Soil Moisture / Drainage: Well Drained Moist

Soil pH: 4.5 – 7.5 (Acid to Slightly Alkaline)

Maintenance / Care: Low

Attracts: Visual Attention

Resistances: Deer – more info, Disease, Drought, Heat, Humidity, Insect

Description

For those who have limited space but want the beauty and fragrance of Southern Magnolia, unlike its larger cousins, which grow to 50 feet plus in height, ‘Little Gem’ is one of the dwarfs in the family of Southern Magnolias, maturing to a height of a little over 20 feet and a width of about 8 to 10 feet.

Though smaller in stature, there are big differences between Little Gem Magnolia and its larger cousins that make it one of those “must have” trees in gardens where it will fit and grow. No need to wait 5 or more years for flowers to come as Little Gem starts blooming at 2 years of age. You’ll also be happy to know that the large 6 to 8 inch diameter creamy white flowers have the same lemony-fresh fragrance that comes with all Southern Magnolias. The blooming period is much longer as well. Provided there is ample moisture throughout the season, Little Gem will start flowering as early as May and continue to the first frost late fall or early winter. There’s more. When planted where happy, Little Gem grows about two to three times as fast as its larger cousins. We’ve seen 2 feet or more in height added in a single growing season.

Landscape & Garden Uses

Growing upright to 20 to 25 feet tall and 8 to 10 feet wide, Little Gem Magnolia has many uses in the landscape. We use it most often in evergreen privacy screen plantings, as a focal point specimen, to frame in the corners of tall homes or other structures, or as espalier (trained to grow against a wall) on tall, open walls. Can also be grown in large pots, planters and containers of 18 inches or more in rim diameter. A fine addition to fragrance gardens, white theme gardens, bird & wildlife gardens and cottage gardens.

Suggested Spacing: 6 to 8 feet for solid privacy screens; 14 feet or more for space between trees

See: Privacy Screen Planting Tips & Instructions

Growing Preferences

Little Gem Magnolia is very easy to grow in most any average moist but well-drained soil, preferring one that is rich in organic matter. It grows well in full sun, part shade or all-day filtered sun. For best density of foliage and flowering, we suggest 4 hours or more of direct sunlight per day. Very low maintenance and never requires pruning. That said, stray branches can be pruned for shaping purposes.

Helpful Articles

Click on a link below to find helpful advice from our experts on how to plant, prune, feed and water Southern Magnolia trees.

How To Plant & Care For Southern Magnolia Trees

Privacy Screen Design Planting Tips & Instructions

Plant Long & Prosper!

Meet The Wilson Brothers & Staff

Questions? Contact Us

Plants in great condition. Excellent packaging/shipping!————————————————Thanks for the great review! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I will definitely order again from this company. The magnolia was packaged really well for shipment. Very healthy and good size.————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I purchased 3 Little Gem Magnolias to plant in pots on a new patio. They arrived quickly and in beautiful condition. They were fuller and larger than I anticipated! The glossy green leaves are adding to the tropical look that I’m working to achieve and there are a couple of buds forming.———————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I purchased and have planted 3 of the 3-gallon size; they look very healthy and attractive and I’m hoping they grow as quickly as described. They will provide much-needed privacy and beautiful flowers/aroma to my environment.——————————————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I’ve had some poor experiences with on line plant purchasing, especially from those big discount sites. I couldn’t find what I wanted locally, so I took a chance with WilsonBros.
Little Gem magnolia (3 gal pot) arrived in near perfect condition. I was impressed with the packaging/shipping box. Planted nearly 2 weeks ago and showing no signs of stress. Weather has just started to turn cooler, so I’ve been keeping a close eye on it, but feel confident that it will do just fine.
Price was more than I wanted to spend, but I’m generally happy with the purchase.
I would definitely consider future purchases from Wilson Bros.————————————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

Arrived healthy and well packaged as always. These are very beautiful trees and already putting off new growth. Very happy with them as I’ve been with all the plants and trees I’ve ordered from Wilson Bros.——————————————————I hope you are well! Thanks for letting us know, we are so glad you are pleased!
Have a great day! Beth 🙂

This was a gift. According to them, the Tree arrived in great condition. Its leaves were very healthy. Waiting until spring to plant.————————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I ordered a Little Gem dwarf magnolia in April. The tree came with beautiful leaves and flower buds. It is still in a pot because my front yard is not ready for it. But the tree is doing awesome. I am excited to see it growing. Right now it is about 3 ft. tall.—————————————-We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG 🙂

This magnolia was sent directly to a friend in MD. The magnolia was special to her husband who had recently died. This dwarf size will be just right for her suburban back yard. Several mature magnolias planted over 25 years ago had to be cut down because they were too large for the lots and their roots were invading sewer lines. It was a painful lesson for the neighborhood. I was very happy to find this dwarf. It will grow large but not too large for the lot where it will be planted.————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope your friend enjoys it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

Ordered 2 trees, they were delivered very carefully, earlier than expected and in great condition. Planted them about 2 weeks ago. They like to be here in Louisiana so far..
Thank you for the quality plants and great service!————————————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the great review! Thanks for the kind words! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I am so happy with the quality of the Little Gem Magnolia that I received! I am happy that it was sent in a dirt filled container. There was little stress and I feel confident that if I do my part, this tree will be magnificent! Thanks!————————————-Thanks for the kind words!! We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG 🙂

Healthy plant arrived fast and undamaged.. Really good packaging. Happy with my purchase. My little gem loves the Florida sunshine. Good job.—————————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I now have 3 of these plants in my garden along with so many other ones from Wilson Bros. All are doing well and look forward to a mature garden.———————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the great review! Thanks for the kind words! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

Very happy with the Little Gem magnolia. Shipping was very prompt and the tree was well packaged. Looking forward to the blooms as well as helping it mature.————————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

The plants were delivered right on time and were in perfect condition. The plants are so large they will definitely be blooming probably next month here in south Florida.————————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

Nice specimens, approx 4 ft. Withstood shipping ok except for carrier delay with one. Hoping it will recover. I have ordered other plants from WB, always with good quality specimens.———————————-So sorry about the carrier delay, Magnolias are pretty tough, so it should recover. Let ua know if it dosen’t please. We are glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

I ordered quite a few plants from Wilson Bros Gardens & although my timing was probably not the best due to shipping companies being overloaded right now, I am more than happy with my plants! Everything I ordered arrived packaged with extra caution, extra wet paper to hold in moisture & very secured in their boxes. Wilson Bros has contacted me a quite a few times to make sure everything arrived ok & that I was pleased. No other company that I have ordered plants from has been this kind. Here ia a pic of my beautiful Little Gem that I will be planting soon ? Thank you Wilson Bros!!———————————Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG

Beautiful Little Gem Magnolia. Was packaged great and went right into the ground and is wonderful. Can’t say enough about the service and quality of Wilson Bros plants. ————————- WBG Reply: Hi Michael – Thanks so much for your review of the Little Gem Magnolia and for the compliments! It makes everything we do even more worth the while. Hope you enjoy this fragrant flowering wonder for years to come. Let us know if there’s ever anything else we can do for you. We’re at your service! – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens

The magnolia tree arrived in good condition. What I wanted to comment on was your service. I was emailed that the plant I ordered was not up to your standards regarding the plant size. You suggested you send the next smaller size and when I received it it was really pretty and you immediately issued a refund. I appreciated your honesty and your service. Thank you! ——————– WBG Reply: Hi Susan – Thanks so much for your review of the Little gem Magnolia. Our main goal is that our customers receive the best and largest plant for the dollars spent. Sometimes when a specific plant is larger in a smaller size pot than the ones are in the larger size pots, we alert the customer to let them make a choice to get the larger plant at a lesser cost. Let us know if there’s ever anything else we can help you with. We’re at your service – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens

Beautiful Little Gem Magnolias….they seems very happy in South Georgia….can’t wait to see them bloom…..awesome service! —————— WBG Reply: Hi Sheila – Thanks for your review and for the compliments. It’s been our pleasure to serve you. Hope you enjoy the Little Gem for for many, many years to come. We have one about 15 years old in our gardens and it looks and blooms better than ever. Let us know if there’s ever anything else we can help you with. We’re at your service! – Brent | Wilson Bros Gardens

Arrived, perfectly. Wrapped, watered, with additional soil to prevent dirt lost during shipping. Couldn’t be happier!!! ————- WBG RESPONSE: Hi Enza – Thanks so much for taking the time to provide us and visitors to Wilson Bros Gardens with your review of the Little Gem Magnolia tree. Hope you enjoy it for many years to come. Because it blooms at such a young age (from the first year) you should see some blooms this summer and well into fall. Little Gem is easy to grow, however, If you need need any care tips check out the advice we provide under the Care tab on this page. Give us a shout if there’s ever anything else we can help you with. We’re at your service. Plant long and prosper!

Looks good outside & even has a few buds:) Let’s hope it lives a long happy life in Ohio…

First time buyer from this site. Could not be happier. Tree was in great shape. Flowered right after planting. Thriving and growing.

Seems to have survived our bad winter pretty well.