Certain smells have the power to transport you to another time and place. The other day I walked past a magnolia tree, and when my lungs became infused with the bright, flowery smell, it became the first moment I felt my body’s acknowledgement of springtime.
My parents had a magnolia tree in their front yard, and from my earliest ages they would string a piñata to the strongest branch, and me and my friends, in our prettiest play-things, would sweat our little hearts out trying to beat this thing into breakage. Eventually, even if it meant an adult had to assist, the paper mache donkey (usually, it was a donkey) would explode and out would come a festival of riches in the form of penny candy.
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I could count on the tree being in full bloom for my birthday, and, it seemed, as though it knew the party was over, it would readily shed its leaves and the lawn would be decorated with a blanket of these lovely, long pink and white petals.
Whether you know it or not, every tree you plant comes infused not only with its distinct blossom, but also its distinct folklore. Magnolias, in addition to being beautiful, carry the promise that, if you suffer tough times, better ones will follow quickly. They are trees which encourage determination and, if planted next to your bedroom window, ensures that your partner will remain faithful to you forever.
Did the Grateful Dead know any of this when they crooned their 1970 hit “Sugar Magnolia”?
Sugar magnolia ringing that bluebell, caught up in sunlight, come on out singing
I’ll walk you in the sunshine, come on honey, come along with me.
She’s got everything delightful, she’s got everything I need,
A breeze in the pines and the sun and bright moonlight, lazing in the sunshine yes
Indeed.
It’s not tough to justify the magnolia as a muse of desire. Encountering a magnolia tree is a unique experience which penetrates the senses. Indeed.
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