Star magnolia 'Royal Star'
Magnolia stellata 'Royal Star' · Magnoliaceae Popular
Double, pure white, scented flowers with up to thirty narrow petals each open on bare, grey branches in early spring.
- Size
- 13 ft tall, 11½ ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Early April to late April
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around star magnolia 'Royal Star'
The planner designed this bed around star magnolia 'Royal Star' when this page was made: a 30 × 14 ft (9.1 × 4.3 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why star magnolia 'Royal Star' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Star magnolia 'Royal Star' × 1, white
- 2 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 31, pink
- 3 Verbena 'Homestead Purple' × 5, purple
- 4 Dwarf Alberta spruce × 1, green leaves
- 5 Brown-eyed Susan × 13, yellow
- 6 Tatarian aster 'Jindai' × 4, purple
- 7 White mugwort × 4, cream
- 8 Yarrow × 8, yellow
- 9 Orange New Zealand sedge × 11, bronze leaves
- 10 Beardtongue 'Husker Red' × 3, white
- 11 Robin's plantain 'Lynnhaven Carpet' × 54, lavender
- 12 Salvia 'May Night' × 3, purple
- 13 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 6, purple
- 14 Turk's cap lily × 3, orange
- 15 Asiatic lily × 6, yellow
Why this plant
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So do dwarf Alberta spruce and orange New Zealand sedge.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 13 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to brown-eyed Susan (4 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for four weeks. From early April to late April.
- Opens the season. In all that time nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 26 of the 30 groups (87%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The front edge is finished with Robin's plantain 'Lynnhaven Carpet', verbena 'Homestead Purple' and bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei'. Robin's plantain 'Lynnhaven Carpet' is the plant there is most of: 54 of the 153.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 3 Good, 1 Satisfactory.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where star magnolia 'Royal Star' goes in a border
At 13 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is super tall (over 6½ ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
A large shrub that brings a magnolia within reach of a small garden. This form flowers a little later than the species, so frost spoils it less often. Avoid an east-facing position.
- A specimen for early spring
- Small gardens
- Scent
What to plant with star magnolia 'Royal Star'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Daffodil: in flower together for three weeks, from mid April; low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it.
- Siberian squill: in flower together for three weeks, from early April; low enough (5 in) to stand in front of it.
- Crocus: in flower together for two weeks, from early April; low enough (5 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about star magnolia 'Royal Star'
Does star magnolia 'Royal Star' need sun or shade?
Star magnolia 'Royal Star' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does star magnolia 'Royal Star' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does star magnolia 'Royal Star' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early April to late April. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 4 | Mid April to early May |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Early April to late April |
| Zone 6 | Late March to mid April |
| Zone 7 | Late March to mid April |
| Zone 8 | Mid March to early April |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should star magnolia 'Royal Star' be planted?
10 ft (300 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 11½ ft (350 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 13 ft (400 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many star magnolia 'Royal Star' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 10 ft (300 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 10 ft apart: two plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is star magnolia 'Royal Star' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension and the ASPCA.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like star magnolia 'Royal Star'?
Star magnolia 'Royal Star' comes from South Central Honshu, Japan. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Shadblow serviceberry: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 3½ ft taller.
- American elderberry: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 3½ ft shorter, 20 in narrower.
- American cranberrybush: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 3½ ft shorter, 20 in narrower.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat star magnolia 'Royal Star'?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What flowers after star magnolia 'Royal Star'?
Star magnolia 'Royal Star' is over by late April. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Lilac 'Sensation': from mid May to late May, 10 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Rhododendron 'Roseum Elegans': from late May to mid June, 8 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- American cranberrybush: from late May to mid June, 10 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does star magnolia 'Royal Star' look like in winter?
Star magnolia 'Royal Star' drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is star magnolia 'Royal Star' good for bees and butterflies?
Star magnolia 'Royal Star' is visited by butterflies and songbirds.
More Magnolia
- Magnolia 'Jane' Magnolia 'Jane'
In these guides
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Plants for a white garden
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
In flower in: April
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 13 ft (400 cm) tall, 11½ ft (350 cm) wide
- Plant
- 10 ft (300 cm) apart
- Height class
- Super tall (over 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Early April to late April; white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; green
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Magnoliaceae
- Comes from
- South Central Honshu, Japan
- Attracts
- Butterflies, songbirds
- Stands up to
- Heat
Checked against NC State Extension and ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.