As an artist, Meredyth Kutt is used to looking at beautiful pieces of art. But perhaps her favourite masterpiece is on her front lawn in St. George, Ont. The cucumber magnolia has stood on the Brant County property for approximately 100 to 140 years. Now, the rare tree is getting some well-deserved recognition after being named the winner of this year’s Ontario Tree Pageant. Kutt’s family has lived on the property for more than 20 years. When they moved in, the previous owners told them about the tree’s history “The previous homeowners talked a lot about how special and unique this tree is — that it’s endangered. It’s Canada’s only native magnolia,” Kutt said. Cucumber magnolias are more commonly found around Ontario’s Niagara region and farther east along Lake Erie, making the tree in St. George an outlier. “This is a species that’s growing pretty west for its range,” said Rory Wise, program coordinator with Tree Trust. “It’s a bit of a mystery, though. It’s super cool that it’s here, but we might never know how it got here.” The tree’s location isn’t the only thing that makes it unusual. Old photographs and documents suggest it may have been planted as early as 1880, or the early 1900s. Kutt pointed to one of them. “Since that was in the 1940s and it looks at least 20 or 30 years old there, I think that puts its planting around the early 1900s,” she said. That history prompted Kutt to nominate the tree for the Ontario Tree Pageant, an annual program run by Tree Trust. The organization works with urban communities to preserve mature trees. For the pageant, members of the environmental community are invited to nominate some of their favourite trees. “The Ontario Tree Pageant is a program that Tree Trust started about three years ago,” Wise said. “And every summer, we invite members of the environmental community to submit one of their favourite trees.” The Kutt family has also taken steps to help preserve the species. The property’s previous owners planted a second cucumber magnolia to provide a pollination partner for the original tree. Kutt’s family has continued those efforts. “We have started six ourselves, which are out in the field over there,” Kutt said. “It was so sad to learn that this magnolia’s endangered, and it may disappear from Canada forever. And this felt like some real positive change that we could do.” The St. George magnolia was one of 25 finalists in this year’s pageant before taking the top spot. Kutt said she was thrilled with the recognition. “I think it’s the coolest tree ever. So, in that regard, you’re not surprised. But at the same token, I did not expect that at all,” she said. The winning tree will be celebrated Saturday in St. George, where some of its seeds will be handed out. Organizers hope the event will help raise awareness of the rare species and perhaps help more cucumber magnolias take root.
