In her front yard was a giant old Southern Magnolia tree, with branches so huge that they lay on the ground. When my dad would take us to visit, my sister and I would spend hours playing on the limbs of the tree... once in a while, our aunt would let us cut a blossom or two from the tree and bring them inside where she would "float" them in a large bowl... The blossoms of her Magnolia were the size of a luncheon plate... and she taught us to carefully cut the stem of the blossom without touching the tender flower... Magnolia blossoms turn brown if you touch them...
The beautiful Southern Magnolia; Mississippi's State Tree and State Flower.
and so, the Magnolia became one of my favorite flowers...
Ricky planted a Southern Magnolia for me just last year... and this weekend.. it bloomed... 
I couldn't resist going out and cutting a few blossoms... being careful not to touch the tender flowers...
and while my Magnolias are not the size of a luncheon plate... they would fill a dessert plate just fine... so I "smashed" the woody stems and placed them in a vintage depression dessert glass for a vase...
I love the beautiful colors... the creamy white petals, the red axis, the pale green veins of the closed buds and the beautiful shiny deep green leaves with velvety undersides...
The Magnolia... a majestic flower... If you'd like to know more about the Magnolia you can link HERE...
The beautiful Southern Magnolia, one of my favorite flowers... down here in French Lique...
