Pink magnolias grace entrance to Bear Creek Park
The foreground tree is a magnolia stellata, or star magnolia.
These trees will grow in sun to part shade and neutral soil. Like other magnolias, this type bursts into flower in early spring. The leaves come later.
When I was studying first year at UBC, oh so many years ago, we read Antigone.
A line that has stuck with me conveyed the sensation of being seated in a garden, with magnolia petals falling on one's shoulders. That key opened the door to a fictional room of wonder, and as a result I discovered real magnolias.