At a time when the rest of the garden is stirring into life with emerging spring flowers, bulbs and perennials, the magnolia is putting on a delightful display in colours that range from purest white through to creams and yellows, and to every shade of pink, rich reds and purples.

Similarly with cherry blossom trees, you’ll find pictures of magnolia trees flooding Instagram, with either close-ups of the beautiful coloured petals or wide-angled shots magically capturing a tree framing the entrance of a house. Britain’s tallest magnolia tree in Lilliput, Poole, which was 60ft tall and believed to have been planted more than 50 years ago, became somewhat of a local attraction due to its magnificent pink flowers, but was felled last year over health and safety fears.

This year, magnolias look glorious on the grounds of the seven-acre Great Comp Garden in Platt, near Sevenoaks, Kent. It’s home to an incredible collection of magnolia trees — over 80 specimens and 52 varieties. ‘The display is incredible this year – and vintage,’ says curator William Dyson. ‘It’s great to see visitors flocking to the garden to see the display. A fantastic variety is Rustica Rubra with its dark pink colour and goblet-shaped flower; it’s quite distinct from a usual soulangeana. We also love the Magnolia loebneri “Leonard Messel”, we have one on the lawn in front of the 17th century manor house: it is a fairly early flowering tree and looks beautiful this year.’

Magnolias are actually among our most ancient plants, with fossil records dating back a hundred million years. Because magnolia trees predate the arrival of bees and other flying insects, they’re pollinated by beetles and are generally untroubled by pests – although it’s said they were once grazed by dinosaurs!

Deciduous magnolia trees (and the best type for small gardens)

The majority of spring-flowering magnolias are deciduous. Most frequently planted are the spreading Soulangeanas and the bushy Stellata varieties. Soulangeana comes in many different colours and grows well in most urban environments and soil types, but it can outgrow smaller spaces.

• The best magnolia trees for small gardens

If you have a small garden, the more petite and delicate Japanese Magnolia stellata is ideal, and it can also be grown in containers. It produces showy white flowers in spring that resemble a star and it’s also slightly fragrant.

• The best magnolia trees for medium gardens

If you want something a little different, then Pinkie is medium-sized with rosy pink flowers. ‘Think about loebneri varieties like “Merril” which grows up to 20 feet in height or “Leonard Messel“, but be warned, they do come out early,’ says William. ‘Magnolia liliflora Nigra x M.veitchii “Peppermint Stick” is a beauty. A hybrid from the 1960s, this tree enjoys sun and a well-drained soil.’

•The best magnolia trees for large gardens

Margaret Helen is a large upright shrub with deep rose-pink flowers. William also shares a personal favourite: ‘Star Wars (a campbellii hybrid) is a big one – we have one that’s 20 feet in height and 20 feet in width, and was planted 20 years ago, growing a foot a year. The large leaves of the Star Wars magnolia provide great shade in the summer on our woodland pathway. You can also get reblooming from Star Wars magnolia in August.’