Magnolia of the Year entries open

My first magnolia of 2009, River Road, Hamilton

It's August, and just when you think you can't possibly bear another dreary cold month of New Zealand winter, suddenly the magnolias appear, and distract you so completely with their luminous fleshy beauty, that somehow the last few weeks of winter don't seem so bad.

Last year I was in the tropics and so magnolia season passed by without any acknowlegement on Bibliophilia. But posts in the three previous years all paid tribute to these hardy bright beacons of pinkness. In 2006 and 2007 I ran a 'Magnolia of the Year Award' which I am reviving here for my August giveaway.

This giveaway requires you to nominate a magnolia tree in bloom. You can email me a photo (meliors6 (at) gmail (dot) com), send me a link to your magnolia photo online, or if the tree is in Hamilton you can simply tell me where it is and I will go have a look. Photographs must have been taken during 2009, must be accompanied by the tree's location information. Magnolias that blossomed in the most recent northern hemisphere season are also eligible.

The criteria for the winning tree remains arbitrary and opaque, though hints about the judge's personal taste in magnolias may be discovered in past magnolia-themed posts here.
The winning entry will win a surprise selection of lovely little things I've made.

The closing date for entries is 30 August, which will hopefully allow even the southern most magnolias to qualify.