"It looks like a flock of tropical birds has settled in ... most of them will set flowers within three years of planting. Lily magnolia (Magnolia liliiflora 'Nigra') More shrublike than treelike ...

Mr Anderson said: "The flowers are remarkable ... The Apollo magnolia is a hybrid between Magnolia campbellii mollicomata - the Lanarth - and Magnolia liliiflora - the Nigra.