Emma Townshend: Magnolias can block out the sun - thank goodness for smaller varieties

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My friend Kat and I are standing outside Helen's house, looking at her magnolia. It's Magnolia stellata, its elegant long stems covered with white buds, reaching out to the path and the party wall. "It's lovely, but it makes me feel sad," I say to Kat, because Helen planted the magnolia in memory of her brother, who died in terrible circumstances.











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