Port Wine Magnolia - Michelia figo

Port Wine Magnolia - Michelia figo — Sweet Fragrance, Year-Round Elegance

If you've ever walked past a Port Wine Magnolia in flower, you'll never forget it. The small cream and burgundy-edged blooms produce an intensely sweet, banana-like fragrance that carries through the garden — sometimes detectable from metres away. It's one of the most fragrant plants you can grow in SEQ, full stop.

Beyond the fragrance, it's a beautiful, dense-canopied shrub or small tree with glossy evergreen foliage and a naturally compact, rounded form. Works equally well as a standalone feature, a screening hedge, or a fragrant garden border plant. Low maintenance, long-lived, and genuinely rewarding.

Why You'll Love It

• Extraordinarily fragrant — sweet, banana-like scent from small burgundy-edged flowers
• Flowers over an extended season — blooms multiple times through spring and summer
• Dense, glossy evergreen foliage — attractive year-round even when not in flower
• Compact and manageable — easily shaped or left to its natural rounded form
• Versatile — works as a feature shrub, screening hedge, or poolside fragrance plant
• Low maintenance — minimal care required once established

Landscape Uses

• Fragrant feature shrub near entertaining areas, patios, and pools
• Privacy screening hedge — dense enough to form a solid barrier
• Formal or informal garden borders
• Courtyard and small garden planting
• Driveway entry planting for a fragrant welcome

Available Sizes

• 300mm Bag — a well-established plant ready to be a feature from day one

Growth & Conditions

• Mature height: 2–4m (easily maintained lower)
• Mature width: 1.5–3m
• Sunlight: Full sun to part shade
• Soil: Well-drained; prefers slightly acidic, organically rich soils
• Watering: Regular during establishment; moderate once mature
• Climate: Well suited to SEQ subtropical conditions

Frequently Asked Questions

How strong is the fragrance?
Very strong — on warm days the scent can carry several metres. Position it near outdoor seating, windows, or entry paths to make the most of it. It's genuinely one of the most fragrant garden plants available in SEQ.

Can it be used as a hedge?
Yes — planted 1–1.5m apart it forms a dense, fragrant hedge. Responds well to light trimming after flowering. One of the better fragrant hedging options available.

When does it flower?
Multiple flowering periods through spring and summer in SEQ. The fragrance is most intense on warm, still days.

Locally supplied and acclimatised to South East Queensland conditions. Need it installed? Key Co Landscapes offers professional tree and hedge installation across SEQ.