Location: Smug
In Bloom: March

The star magnolia (Magnolia stellata) is a common ornamental shrub (or in this case, small tree) native to Japan. Its placement at Tony Smith's Smug, 1973/2005, predates the current Glenstone emphasis on native flora, though Maryland does have its own native magnolias. (You can find the native southern magnolia, with its waxy green leaves, as well as the sweetbay magnolia, planted nearby. These bloom later in the spring and summer.) The white, fragrant blooms of the star magnolia usually appear in March, just ahead of Washington D.C.'s cherry blossoms, and are a reliable indicator that spring is finally here. Like most magnolias, the new leaves will emerge after the flowers bloom in the spring and persist until the fall.