Summer Blooming Magnolia

My mom's got a Magnolia tree that blooms in July. We would like to know why it does that.

Magnolias encompass a group of nearly 80 species of trees and large shrubs. They are widely prized for their fragrant blooms of pink, white, yellow, purple or green. Unfortunately for northern gardeners, the flower buds of the commonly grown star and saucer magnolia are often nipped by frost and fail to bloom

The good news is that magnolia hybridizers have introduced many lovely flowered varieties that bloom later in the spring and sporadically through the summer. The Little Girl Hybrids of magnolias are examples of these breeding efforts. The series includes Ann, Betty, Jane, Judy, Pinkie, Randy, Ricki and Susan.