Winter Saucer Magnolia Tree Furry Buds - January 2023

Tree buds are some of the stars of our Winter garden here in Northern Illinois - Zone 5B.  As I've continued to grow as a gardener and observed the natural rhythm of our garden, I've come to really appreciate buds.    I used to think about the garden season cycle as something that starts with Spring and ends with Winter, but as I've watched our garden more, I've now come to the realization the garden growing season actually starts - for many things - in the fall.  That's when trees set their buds before they head into dormancy.  

Tree buds are all unique and tell a story.  One of the sets of buds that I've been following for a number of years is the Saucer Magnolia tree that we planted in our front yard in 2017.  I posted some photos of the Saucer Magnolia buds last year - in February.    Here's how it looks right now - in early January.

This tree continues to grow up and out.  And, it appears that the aphid and/or scale problem that has been going on the past few years has been handled as there aren't a bunch of scale/white spots on the tree this Winter.  I applied this treatment again this Summer. 

I've documented this tree over the years.  Here's the Winter photos of the buds from 2018.

And again three years ago - January 2020.  

Last year, the tree bloomed in late April, but it hasn't in some earlier growing seasons.  I'm hopeful that as we go through Winter, we'll see these buds swell and produce some pink blooms come Spring.