Hello, this is my first post and I was hoping for a little reassurance and advice. I live in zone 4 in south central Wisconsin. I love the thought of planting a beautiful magnolia in my front yard which faces south, mostly sunny, and has good wind protection. I have heard the Magnolia Jane reaches 25-30' tall and 20 ' wide at maturity. Can I prune it to the height I desire, for example keep it under 20 feet tall? Also, the pictures I have seen Jane appears more like a huge shrub. Can you prune near the bottom to shape it like a tree so you can see 4' or so of trunk?
If anyone has any opinions on this tree, good or bad, I would like to hear them. Anyone know what the growth rate is on this tree? (All I found in my research was "moderate")
Finally, if anyone thinks this is a bad choice, can you give me any other suggestions for a great flowering ornamental tree? Thanks in advance.