What’s that? A flower on a magnolia tree? In July instead of April?
It’s just a trick of the weather, said Sharon Yiesla, plant knowledge specialist at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. “Some plants can be confused by a hot spell,” she said. “With magnolias, it’s not unusual.”
Most spring-blooming trees and shrubs, such as magnolias, lilacs, viburnums and forsythia, form their buds soon after they bloom. After the buds form, some weather anomalies in summer or fall, such as a stretch of hot days or a heavy rain after a long dry spell, can make the plant think next spring is here already and pop a few buds open outside their natural bloom time.
“It’s usually just a few,” Yiesla said. “It’s not going to be enough to diminish the spring flower display.”
Reblooming isn’t always an accident: Some cultivated varieties of shrubs and perennials are bred to bloom again after a first flush. They’re called “repeat-blooming” or “remontant.”
For example, many newer varieties of roses will continue to form buds and open blooms all summer, after the first big display in June. Some kinds of bigleaf hydrangea have also been bred to develop a second set of stems and buds to prolong their flowering. There are even reblooming lilacs.
Some perennial varieties also have been bred to rebloom. “Many kinds of daylilies will flower for months,” Yiesla said.
The repeat blooms are usually not as lush and plentiful as the flowers that open at the regular time in spring, but they can add to a plant’s season-long appeal.
Shop carefully if you’d like more plants that bloom repeatedly. “Not all daylilies or roses will bloom again,” she said. “Read plant labels carefully, and make sure it’s a quality of that specific cultivated variety before you buy it.”
Meanwhile, enjoy the stray magnolia blooms and look forward to many more flowers next spring.
For tree and plant advice, contact the Plant Clinic at The Morton Arboretum (630-719-2424, mortonarb.org/plant-clinic, or [email protected]). Beth Botts is a staff writer at the Arboretum.