Tips for Growing Sweetbay Magnolias (White Laurel)

06.06.2023 - 18:08 / gardenerspath.com / Kristine Lofgren

There are hundreds of magnolia species, and each one seems better than the last. But sweetbays have something special going for them.

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The silvery underside of the bay-scented leaves is eye-catching as they wave around in the breeze, and the trees grow in an elegant, dense, vase-like shape. This is already a beautiful tree, before we even get to the flowers.

The creamy white blossoms are three inches wide with an appealing lemon scent. They open in late spring after the leaves have formed on the tree.

While they don’t have the super-massive blossoms of other species, and their flowers aren’t as colorful, they’re every bit as marvelous, especially if you have a swampy spot where other things won’t grow.

Here’s what we’re going to chat about to help you get to know these plants:

Her showier cousins, like the southern magnolia, tend to draw all the attention. So it’s about time sweetbay got a moment in the spotlight! Let’s give her some attention.

Sweetbay, also called swamp bay, swamp magnolia, swamp laurel, or white laurel, grows natively from the southern tip of Florida ranging as far north as Massachusetts, and as far east as Texas.

In colder regions, like USDA Growing Zones 5 and 6, it’s deciduous and shrub-like with multiple trunks, topping out at eight feet.

In warmer climates, like Zones 8 and 9, it’s evergreen and grows much taller, up to 35 feet tall, with a single trunk.

In the extreme southern part of its range, this species has been known to grow 60 feet tall. And it can reach up to 20 feet wide, depending on the