Magnolias

In this Issue: the Eau de South: Magnolias

Although the Saturday of Commencement weekend was full of rain, I hope our visiting families got a chance to take in the magnolias during their time on campus.

Manchester Plaza (aka Mag Quad) is on south campus. Surrounding the Mag Quad are academic buildings, Fireside on Manchester (i.e., the adirondack chairs and fire pits that were added in fall 2020 – and that will now be named for the Class of 2024!) and the street on which our first-year residence halls are located. There are a lot of magnolia trees on the Mag Quad, hence the name.

The magnolia trees are tall, with blossoms going all the way to the tops of the trees. Underneath each tree is a carpet of fallen magnolia leaves – green and waxy on one side, a furryish brown on the other. As they dry, the leaves turn brown on the ground and crunch if you step on them. 

Magnolias start as large buds and then open to equally large, crisp, white blooms. When you get close to an open magnolia flower, you can see the petals and the inside of it.  As the flowers start to age, they take on a sort of rusty hue.

As pretty as a magnolia flower is, the real magic is in its smell. The scent is distinct and unmistakeable; heady is the term that always feels right to me. It smells lush, a bit decadent, and quintessentially Southern. On a humid day, the scent seems to hang in the air. My favorite time to smell the magnolias, though, is at night. Something about the coolness of nightfall and the scent of the magnolias hits me in all the feels.

This is an oldie-but-goodie, but Garden and Gun magazine ran an article nearly 10 years ago about the Magnolia’s allure that stands the test of time, in my humble opinion at least. So in whatever year your student will graduate, make a mental note to linger on the Mag Quad and drink in what Garden and Gun referred to as Eau de South.