Our big leaf magnolia took over a dozen years to produce its first big, beautiful blooms. After thirty years of its living here in our yard, it has finally made numerous  pods.

Magnolia macrophylla pods are larger, rounder and fuzzier than the cultivated type that is common in the south, Magnolia grandiflora.

They remind me of royal scepters. Green and yellow pods are very fresh and should not be harvested until they turn tan or brown in late summer or fall. These can be used in arrangements.

There are also medicinal and culinary uses for the seeds. I have never harvested pods, but I may try to preserve one of these in the fall.

I love everything about this tree. It is one of my trees that I literally hug when I visit it.

FLOW