Magnolia Grandiflora

Hello,

We have a Magnolia Grandiflora in our front garden â?? itâ??s been planted for 2 years and is about 12 foot high with a crown about half way up.

Yesterday our neighbour, who had previously said he liked the tree, chopped 8 key branches off it that were nearest his house though I doubt that any overhung his property and he came at least 1 foot across the fence to do it with a tall lopper. It has completely ruined the look of the tree and although he denies it, this was clearly in response to my trimming a couple of his bushes (with his permission!) several weeks ago that were damaging our fence (that we pay for and maintain in full).

Any advice welcomed on what we can do regarding the tree â?? was it a mistake to plant it within 3 feet of the border, can the shape in any way recover, should be prune/trim it further, should we move it, can we feed it to help it grow back to its former glory?

Such a shame, it was a lovely tree and I fear it has been hacked to death now â?¦

 

To wrongs dont make a right ,But I would butcher his beloved hedge/bush :thmb:

 

Peter I do think it was a mistake to plant it so close to your dividing fence although it is not a particularly fast grower it will reach about 20ft in20 years and a lot of this will be growing over the fence so will be a constant source of trouble ,could you not re site it.

 

It is a shame, when neighbors can be that way. But, I questioned Walnuts growth/measure rate, checked google, and below cut and paste. Your going to have issues. Double check the species and google it.

Habit and Form

a large evergreen tree
pyramidal to oval growth habit
low branching and dense
60' to 80' tall
30' to 50' wide
co**** texture
moderate growth rate

 

Lack of space is the very reason I have never grown one.
Its a tree I really like, but becomes spreading and is not the kind of tree that you can give an annual prune, to keep it under control.

 

Thanks for these replies - we'll have a think about what to do with it. Whenever I see a plant treated this way, particularly a tree, I think it's such a shame.

 

Yes, pete, I too looked at the Mag.Grand many years ago, and considered it. Even with my 2 1/2 acreas of wooded property, to get it the proper space, I'd have to take down lots of trees. There is a thread around here about, "What tree to select" and everyone slowed down the author to really look and check and consider before planting. A little bit of homework pays off at the end. Like selecting a pet--another topic. Good luck Peter T.

 

Rather than start a new thread on Magnolia's, I searched for one and adding my post about mine.

Some years back when staying with a relative, I spotted a Magnolia in the garden and commented how beautiful it looked. Within a matter of weeks, I had managed to buy and plant one in my own back garden. Two years later and just as it truly looked nice, my marriage broke-up and I moved out. Within a week of me moving out, the ex had the tree ripped out and dumped in some tip, because not only did she consider it reminded her of me, she also felt it was Ugly.

In 2007 when my now Partner and I moved to where we are, we discovered another in the front garden and this afternoon, I noticed it is already in bud again and can be seen thus in the photo. As soon as possible, I intend to tidy the rest of this garden up and plant another tree across the opposite side of the garden, but not another Magnolia this time.

 

Sizewise I agree with Walnut 20ft in 20 years. The EVENTUAL height ( in about 60 years ) will be about 60 to 65 ft. Even so, it should NEVER have been planted 3ft from the boundary. After all, one of the varieties is not called Goliath, for nothing.:thumb:

 

Thank you for the info David.