Magnificent Magnolias

Experience one of the most significant conservation collection of Magnolias in the United States

in bloom mid-January through March.

Admire the sights and scents on the branches of more than 200 elegant trees, as velvety silver buds and saucer-sized pink, white, and magenta flowers make an appearance in this always spectacular annual bloom at the Garden.

Current Bloom Status:

We are at the tail end of this year's season but there are still a few magnolias in bloom--notably #1 on the map, M. laevifolia 'Strybing Compact' is looking (and smelling) beautiful; #7 on the map, M. × soulangeana ‘Rustic Rubra’ and #11 M. doltsopa are other end of season highlights.

As the magnolias are waning many of the rhododendrons, crab apples, cherry, and more spring bloomers are at or near peak bloom with other flowers on their way--get out and enjoy the Garden!

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Endemic to Asia and the New World, Magnolias are ancient flowering trees that have endeared themselves to humans for millennia. Here in mild San Francisco, we cultivate species from across most of their range, from the monsoon-influenced, temperate forests of the Himalayas to the cloud forests of Mesoamerica.

In the winter of 1940, horticultural history was made at the newly-opened San Francisco Botanical Garden when its exotic cup and saucer magnolia (Magnolia campbellii) became the first of its kind to bloom in the United States. Huge crowds of excited and curious visitors stood in long lines to see the stunning, large, pink blossoms of this famous Magnolia that still stands in the Garden today.

That was just the beginning. The Garden is now home to more than 200 Magnolias— many rare and historic. The Garden’s current collection includes 63 species and 49 cultivars.