Enter your ZIP code — we check it against our Service Areas coverage.
Keep your Little Gem Magnolia's glossy evergreen foliage healthy and its summer blooms fragrant with this watering, pruning, and feeding guide.
Deep water two to three times a week for the first six to eight weeks after planting. After that, a regular garden watering schedule works well, Little Gem prefers consistent moisture more than the drought-tolerant specimen trees in our catalog.
Little Gem needs very little pruning. Remove dead, damaged, or crossing branches as needed, but avoid heavy structural cuts, magnolias don't respond to hard pruning as well as some other trees and can be slow to recover a clean shape afterward. Light shaping right after the summer bloom is the best time if any is needed.
A balanced, slow-release fertilizer in early spring supports healthy foliage and strong summer bloom. A light second feeding after bloom season is optional if the tree looks like it needs a boost.
Magnolia scale, small brown bumps on stems that can cause sticky residue on leaves, is the most common pest to watch for, treat with horticultural oil if noticed. It's also normal for an evergreen magnolia to shed some of its older leaves in spring even while holding most of its foliage year round, this is natural leaf turnover, not a sign of a problem.
Bought your magnolia from us? Call anytime, we're happy to advise former customers on care.
Yes. Even though Little Gem is evergreen, it naturally sheds some older leaves in spring while holding most of its foliage year round. This is normal leaf turnover, not a sign of a problem.
As little as possible. Remove dead, damaged, or crossing branches, but avoid heavy structural cuts, magnolias are slow to recover a clean shape after hard pruning.
This is often magnolia scale, small brown bumps on the stems that produce a sticky residue. Treat with horticultural oil if you notice it.
It prefers more consistent moisture than our drought-tolerant specimen trees. A regular garden watering schedule works well once established.