Magnolia Jane in Wisconsin

Thu Mar 16, 2006 7:45 pm

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.

Thu Mar 16, 2006 8:35 pm

Well, traditionally speaking you could prune a plant to the height that you want..... but, the plant will be much healthier if it is grown to it's proper height. If you restrict it's height through pruning or other methods, the plant will suffer. It may even die on you.

So, my advice would be to find a dwarf or semi-dwarf variety of the plant, if such a thing is available. If not, I would advise choosing a different plant.

Good luck

Mon Mar 20, 2006 12:46 am

I am going to take your advice and choose a different tree. I did some more research through local nurseries and they stated not to plant magnolias on the southwest corner of your house. I think I would just be asking for trouble.

Mon Mar 20, 2006 7:16 pm

Okay, good luck with choosing a tree!