Japanese Magnolia Blossoms

Well! It is a sure sign Springtime is right around the corner when the Japanese Magnolia trees begin to bloom.  It is unusual for them to be in full bloom this early.  It is usually mid-to-late February before we see them blooming like this.

Each year when these beautiful trees are in bloom I cannot resist going out in the yard and getting pictures.   Even though the sky was somewhat overcast and there was not much sunshine, I went out anyway and took lots of pictures.

That little grey sprig hanging down in the below photo is a little bit of Spanish Moss ... 

It seemed to be on everything this year.
Also, I was surprised to see two different color blossoms on the same tree

Looking down the hill from the back door this is the view of some of the Japanese Magnolia trees.  They are not quite in full bloom yet.

Years ago my husband went with his gardening friend over to Mobile, Alabama to a Nursery they had heard about.  My husband was looking for the hard to find white Japanese Magnolia tree.  He and his friend came back with lots of what looked like little sticks.  They planted those sticks and they survived and grew into these beautiful trees.

 I love this ocean of pink.

 This is another one of those little sticks.

Japanese Magnolia trees grow to be about 25 feet tall with a 25-foot spread.  They produce a 5 to 10-inch fragrant pink, purple or white blossom and bloom profusely in the early Spring.

 Japanese Magnolias prefer full sunlight or partial shade and a moist, acidic soil.

Japanese magnolia trees grow in US hardiness zones 4 through 9. 

They are native to south-west China and also were cultivated in Japan.

All of the above photos were taken a couple of days ago.  

I also wanted to include some photos I had taken in the past ....  The below photos were taken on a bright clear day when the sky was so intensely blue and accentuated the blossoms so nicely.

 The sunshine accentuated the colors also.

Well, that is it!   Another year of beautiful Japanese Magnolia blossoms ... What fun it is to try to take a nice picture of these beautiful flowers.  I am so glad you took the time to walk along as I went up and down the hills trying to capture some of the Lord's amazingly beautiful artwork.

Wishing you wonderful days with many blessings wherever you may be.