Our Southern Magnolia

Last night, Tomcat brought in one of the last blooms on our Magnolia tree, and my office is filled with its fragrance.

We're going to miss this tree when we move across town. It's an aptly named Magnolia Grandiflora, commonly known as the Southern Magnolia. About 30 feet tall, it dominates our courtyard. Whoever planted it trained its first set of branches to grow ten feet above the ground, so we can easily stand under the tree and enjoy its shade.

Magnolias are evergreen, so it's never bare. I can't say that we'll miss the tons of leaves it drops all year long. However, the Magnolia's many benefits outweigh the required maintenance.

We put our spa underneath it. The shade makes it bearable even in the summer. In the height of the summer heat, you can feel a marked drop in the temperature as soon as you enter the courtyard.

Of course, the best time is in the spring when it blooms and fills the courtyard with its magnificent fragrance, and when Tomcat brings me a fresh-cut blossom.