Little Gem Magnolia blossom. PHOTO PROVIDED

Love big Southern magnolias but don’t have the space? A lot of us in Cape Coral have only quarter-acre lots so the dwarf magnolia “Little Gem” is everything we are looking for but smaller!

This “Little Gem” tree offers big looks and gorgeous style with beautiful pure white perfumed flowers for our smaller spaces. It flowers heavily in the spring and intermittently the rest of the year filling the air with a rich perfume.

The “Little Gem” tree grows slowly to a mature size of about 15 to 20 feet tall. It has the classic large white flowers you expect from a larger magnolia tree but a narrow shape. It is a perfect blooming specimen tree for smaller landscapes.

If you are looking for an excellent evergreen privacy screen, you can plant in groups or rows. You can use the “Little Gem” as a large focal feature tree in large outdoor containers on your decks or lanais. You can prune your “Little Gem” up or you can leave un-pruned for natural branching at ground level. You can plant this dwarf magnolia 6 to 10 feet from large walls and fences. The roots are not invasive.

Unlike the Southern magnolia, you will not have to wait years to see blooms. “Little Gem” begins to bloom when it is only 3 to 4 feet tall. You will love the glossy leaves which look perfect all year in our Zone 10a. The under portion of the leaves are covered with lovely dark brown “fur” giving your tree lots of character. In the fall you will have fascinating cone-like seed pods which open to reveal bright red seeds!

Plant “Little Gem” in any soil, which is good, as we have very sandy soil here. It thrives in damp or normal gardens and is moderately drought resistant once it is established. No pests or diseases seem to bother this long-lived tree and requires little maintenance to produce its fabulous blossoms year in and year out.

Have you ever used coffee grounds in your garden? If a test indicates that your soil is too alkaline, then, use the fresh coffee grounds around your acid-loving magnolia tree. You can use a balanced fertilizer around the base of the tree and water generously. It requires very modest fertilizing with application three times a year. Pine needles are a good mulch for your tree or any mulch that you favor for reducing water evaporation and moisture loss.

Did you know that magnolias produce fruit in addition to their fabulous flowers? Although inedible, it has benefits to you as a gardener. There are many species of birds that love to feast on magnolia fruit. If you love to draw birds into your garden, a magnolia tree is for you. The “Little Gem” provides a secure spot for birds to nest.

I encourage you to check this “Little Gem” magnolia at your local nursery. It truly is a GEM!

This is a short quote which I love about gardening. The author is Jenny Uglow…

“We may think we are nurturing our garden, but of course it’s our garden that is really nurturing us.”

Happy gardening!

Ann Block is co-president of the Garden Club of Cape Coral