On a 5 minute journey recently I counted 14 front garden specimens in bloom, which to me confirms its status as the mostly commonly planted of the Magnolias here in the south east (UK). Magnolia x soulangeana is a hybrid magnolia brought into being in 1820 by French plantsman Étienne Soulange-Bodin (1774-1846). He crossed M. liliiflora of Chinese origin with M. denudata of Japanese origin (although actually also a Chinese native) and the rest is history, flowering each March to spectacular effect.
Tend&Grow 