Cucumber Magnolia
After moving to Fairsted, Charles Sprague Sargent, who lived across the street, gave Olmsted a cucumber magnolia tree as a present, to thank Olmsted for helping him design the Arnold Arboretum. The cucumber magnolia can grow very large, between 40 to 70 feet tall, and have a similar width. They gained their name from their fruit, which before it ripens, looks like a small version of a cucumber. They are also much more resistant to cold temperatures than other magnolias, which makes them useful for landscaping in Massachusetts. They are also one of the eight species of magnolia that are native to North America. Unlike other magnolias, cucumber magnolias have a more understated flower of a greenish color that blends into the green leaves of the tree. The most prominent cucumber magnolia at Fairsted is planted near the southeast corner of the property against the eastern fence and serves as a sort of demarcation between the Rock Garden and the Carriage Turn. Its thick trunk and dense canopy act as a barrier between the landscape and the street, as well as provide shade for the Rock Garden,. It also acts as a natural corridor into this more isolated area of Fairsted’s landscape.
