February 21, 1 PM, Cape Cod Community College (Hyannis, more or less)

Stefan Cover - Hardy New England Magnolias: Old Standbys/New Developments.

Most gardeners think of saucer and star magnolias as the only kinds that will grow reliably in cold climates, but nothing could be further from the truth. A wide variety of magnolias are fully hardy in USDA Zone 5, and some will grow in Zone 4. These plants are spectacular in bloom and offer four-season interest in bark, buds, growth form, and foliage. Many of these magnolias are little known and thus remain unplanted by gardeners. Come and get a glimpse of what you've been missing all these years -- it may change your garden forever!

Stefan Cover works at Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology where he studies North American ants. He moonlights as a botanist/ gardener with special interest in ornamental wood plants, especially magnolias. He runs the international seed exchange for the Magnolia Society and cultivates many of these lovely trees in his Zone 5B frost pocket garden in Stow, MA.

(He's also going to be at the Berkshire Botanic Garden in March, if that's closer)

Here is a link that might be useful: Rhody Society Events