For about two weeks every February, San Francisco is privy to a breathtaking sight: the peak bloom of Golden Gate Park’s magnolia trees, one of the most important collections of magnolias in America.
The 200-plus trees are located in the San Francisco Botanical Garden and at the moment, are going off in saucer-shaped explosions of pink, ivory and magenta. More silver buds, velvety like soft deer antlers, are primed to go. The peak bloom should last until the end of next week (Feb. 22). Flowering could continue into mid-March, if the weather stays cool and copacetic.
The magnolias were originally planted by the garden’s inaugural director, Edward Walther, a German immigrant who had a passion for the species. When the garden’s rare cup-and-saucer magnolia tree – typically found in the Himalayas — bloomed in 1940, it was the first of its kind to do so in the United States and drew admiring crowds from all over the Bay.
“Magnolias are a really beautiful and charismatic tree. It’s kind of hard not to fall in love with them,” says Ryan Guillou, director of collections and conservation for the Gardens of Golden Gate Park. “We’re fortunate enough to have a climate that’s mild compared to most of the United States, where we can grow so many different kinds.”
Some of the garden’s magnolias date back more than a century and reach up to 80 feet tall. They hail from all parts of the globe, from the mountains of Asia to the cloud forests of Central America to an endangered one from Chiapas, Mexico. Only four or five gardens in the world have that guy, Magnolia sharpii, in their collection.
While the magnolias blossoming are a sure sign spring is coming, if you visit the garden, keep your eye out for other seasonal wonders.
“The camellias will start opening around the same time and also some early rhododendron species. The spring bulbs might be starting to pop up a little bit, too,” says Guillou. “I would encourage everyone to come out — it’s really just a great time of year.”