Mercury is the result of a collaborative breeding project between NC State University, J. Frank Schmidt and Son Nursery, and the late Dr. August Kehr. Its defining characteristic is its bloom time: flowering a month or more after typical Magnolia × soulangeana, it avoids the late-spring frosts that can ruin earlier magnolias entirely. When it does bloom in summer, the flowers are large, fragrant, and visually arresting on what is otherwise an imposing evergreen specimen.

At 40 to 80 feet tall with a spread of 30 to 40 feet, Mercury is a tree for parks, street plantings, and large properties where it can eventually grow to its full scale. The root system extends well beyond the canopy, and heavy leaf drop with allelochemical content means underplanting is difficult. Plant in full sun with moist, organically rich, well-drained soil. It handles air pollution and storm stress, is deer resistant, and presents a clean evergreen canopy through winter when most ornamentals offer nothing.