Susan Magnolia is clothed in stunning fragrant purple cup-shaped flowers with shell pink overtones held atop the branches in early spring before the leaves. It has dark green foliage throughout the season. The large pointy leaves turn coppery-bronze in fall. Susan Magnolia is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a more or less rounded form. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other landscape plants with finer foliage. This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. Growing Susan Magnolia will grow to be about 18 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 2 feet from the ground. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more. This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It requires an evenly moist well-drained soil for optimal growth, but will die in standing water. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils.