Lovely Magnolias

Spring rain not only brings beautiful flowers, but livens up the trees here in southern Florida. The fruit trees have blooms and baby fruits while the flowering trees are budding profusely. One of my favorite trees right now is the magnolias. The white blooms against the dark waxy green leaves is so beautiful.  I was sitting out on the deck and could smell the flowers.  I had to pick some. 

Their smell is the strongest when it is still budding like the one below. Just lovely! As they open up, the scent is not as strong. 

However, it is when you see the opened blooms on the tree that draw your attention. The centers of the magnolia have a yellow flower with a red base. 

These centers continue to grow and as the petals fall, the yellow stems fall off and the center turns into a hard dark center that is great for arrangements. I don't have one to show at this time. Here you can see that the leaves are turning a dark beige and some of the yellow stems have dropped onto the leaf at the bottom.

The magnolia blooming process begins with a bud like the one below that is pale green.

When I picked the magnolias, I picked some bleeding heart. The red tips of the bleeding heart are so dramatic against the white magnolias.

Here is another shot of the magnolia with the bleeding heart surrounding the base.

Magnolia trees are so lovely with their dark green waxy leaves and their beautiful white aromatic flowers.

Hope you enjoyed visiting with me and my magnolias!

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