Dark outside
The outer epidermis carries deep red-purple pigment to create a disciplined outline.
Magnolia 'Cameo'® 23cm
Normal price
€55,00
What does the legal guarantee mean for plants?
The legal guarantee concerns the plant’s conformity at delivery. It is not a guarantee of survival or growth for two years. Each issue is assessed taking into account the nature of the plant, its care and the conditions in which it is kept. Your statutory rights remain unaffected.
Magnolia ‘Cameo’ PBR
- Bicolour tepals
- Cream interior
- Precocious bloom
- Sweet fragrance
Magnolia ‘Cameo’ PBR resembles a hand-painted miniature: each upright flower has a deep rose-to-purple outer surface and a luminous cream-white interior. As the cup opens, the contrast becomes spectacular without losing refinement. Sweet, lightly citrus fragrance and a compact broad-columnar crown complete an exceptionally sophisticated selection. On the still-bare branches, closed buds and open two-tone cups appear together as different details of the same spring composition.
In a small garden it delivers the effect of a rare magnolia without the bulk of a large tree. Place it where flowers can be seen close up: the dark outer “frame” and pale centre change continuously as you move around the plant.
What makes it distinctive
‘Cameo’ is distinguished by dark outside and two further characters specific to this exact selection.
Light within
A cream-white interior is revealed gradually, transforming the flower as it opens.
Citrus fragrance
A soft sweet scent with a citrus trace adds an experience no photograph can show.
Why you will love it: each flower changes from a dark bud into a luminous bicolour cup worth watching day by day.
In the garden & on the balconyPlacement & plant pairingsExact position, mature scale and three botanically compatible companions.
Best position
Place near a path, seating area or entrance against a calm bright background, allowing both outer and inner flower surfaces to be seen without visual crowding.
Compatible planting
Pair with Sarcococca confusa, Epimedium × perralchicum and Cyclamen coum for winter scent, fine groundcover and early colour beneath the small crown.
- Sarcococca confusa — acts as a structural backdrop or vertical counterpoint with a compatible scale and growth rhythm.
- Epimedium × perralchicum — extends the composition with a different flowering season and compatible light, position and soil moisture.
- Cyclamen coum — adds low seasonal flowers before or between the plant’s main periods of interest.
Care at a glance
Light
Sun to bright partial shade, sheltered from drying easterly wind. Morning light and a calm microclimate help the flowers open cleanly.
Water
Water deeply during establishment and prolonged summer drought. Roots appreciate even moisture but not heavy, permanently saturated ground.
Climate & hardiness
Woody growth is hardy, although open flowers may be damaged by late frost. A site away from frost pockets protects the display.
Safety
An ornamental tree, not a food product. Do not use bark, flowers or leaves for consumption without specialist botanical identification.
Detailed careComplete care guideSoil, feeding, pruning and winter management.
Light
Sun to bright partial shade, sheltered from drying easterly wind. Morning light and a calm microclimate help the flowers open cleanly.
Water
Water deeply during establishment and prolonged summer drought. Roots appreciate even moisture but not heavy, permanently saturated ground.
Soil & drainage
Provide deep, fertile, organic, freely drained soil, preferably slightly acid to neutral. Avoid compaction and digging over the fleshy surface roots.
Feeding
Apply compost around the crown and a restrained feed in early spring. Excess nitrogen favours extension at the expense of wood ripening and flower buds.
Pruning
Prune only when necessary, just after flowering: remove dead, crossing or weak branches. Large cuts heal slowly and distort the natural habit.
Winter
Leaf fall is normal. Keep roots buffered with organic mulch and protect only young potted plants from prolonged deep freezing.
Development over timeFrom young plant to mature presenceEstablishment, specific architecture and the plant's real mature garden volume.
Initial establishment
In its first years the magnolia invests more in roots and a few sound axes than in rapid bulk. An undisturbed root zone and deep watering during drought build its framework securely.
Building its form
‘Cameo’ begins narrow and often flowers before developing a large framework. With age it mainly increases short lateral flowering positions while primary shoots retain a broad-columnar rather than umbrella-shaped form.
Mature expression
At maturity it forms a compact conical crown 3–4 m high and 1.5–2.5 m wide, with bicoloured flowers held close to the main limbs.
Mature habit & dimensions
Long-term maturityHeight 3–4 mSpread 1.5–2.5 mcompact, broad-columnar
Tree-like branching with distinct limbs and cup-shaped flowers at their tips.
Form through time
Seasonal cycleDeciduousTree habitFlowers before or with the leaves
Two-tone spring
Upright cups reveal reddish-purple exteriors and white interiors.
Summer crown
Green leaves develop along the upright branches.
The two views follow the same natural growth cycle.
History & originCultivar originThe story behind its distinctive character.
In 1996, at Waitara in New Zealand, Vance Hooper brought together two contrasting magnolias: ‘Sweet Simplicity’ as the seed parent and the deeply coloured ‘Black Tulip’ as the pollen parent. Four years later, one offspring caught his attention with two-tone flowers and restrained upright growth. That selection became ‘Cameo’.
Propagation by budding began in 2000, preserving its distinctive combination of a dark outer surface, white interior and flowering in young plants. The same parents, crossed separately in 1998, also produced ‘Cleopatra’. ‘Cameo’ retained its own signature: a bright flower centre gradually revealed as the cup opens.
Greenleaf for Plant NerdsScientific details nobody asked forMechanisms, anatomy, physiology and taxonomic boundaries behind the plant's behaviour.
Two surfaces, one flower
The two-tone effect of ‘Cameo’ comes from opposite surfaces of the same tepals: the inner surface is bright white and the outer surface reddish purple. Dark colour dominates while the cup remains relatively closed. As it opens, more of the white interior becomes visible, changing the overall appearance without the entire floral tissue having to change colour.
What budding transfers
In budding, a bud from the selected magnolia is joined to a rootstock that supplies the root system. The shoot developing from that bud retains the genetic identity of ‘Cameo’. This joins two plants rather than creating a new cross, so the flower characteristics are maintained; shoots arising below the graft union belong to the rootstock.
Frequently asked questions
Six precise answers for ‘Cameo’, from its present scale to mature behaviour.
01What does the present size of ‘Cameo’ mean?
The listed approx. 70 cm is its height on arrival. Long-term placement must allow for a mature scale of 3–4 m by 1.5–2.5 m rather than today's young outline.
02Where will ‘Cameo’ perform best?
Place near a path, seating area or entrance against a calm bright background, allowing both outer and inner flower surfaces to be seen without visual crowding.
03How do I know when ‘Cameo’ needs water?
Water deeply during establishment and prolonged summer drought. Roots appreciate even moisture but not heavy, permanently saturated ground.
04When should I prune ‘Cameo’?
Prune only when necessary, just after flowering: remove dead, crossing or weak branches. Large cuts heal slowly and distort the natural habit.
05Why is the interior pale?
The bicolour pattern is stable: the inner epidermis accumulates much less anthocyanin than the outer. It does not indicate poor nutrition.
06Is it smaller than ‘Cleopatra’?
Yes, it generally holds a more compact scale with a similar columnar logic, although final growth also depends on rootstock and site.
📦 Your plant travels protected
Every order is prepared with care so your plant arrives upright, secure and safe.
Individual protection
Plants in pots with a capacity of 3 litres or more are placed in individual boxes that hold the pot securely and reduce the risk of tipping over.
Sturdy packaging
We use reinforced cardboard designed to protect against impacts and vibration during transport.