Please help me! I have recently purchased a Magnolia v.soulangeana, however, I neglected to take note of it's possible 400cm height. Can anyone tell me if I can restrict it's growth by regular pruning or planting in it's pot? It's currently 1.5m and I would not want it to be much bigger for the spot I have chosen; as it could lift up the concrete fence posts etc. P.S I am a novice gardener! Many thanks.
Magnolias typically do not take well to pruning. It's not that it hurts them but the resulting vigorous growth from near the pruning wounds looks hideous and the tree will develop really bad form (both visually and structurally), especially if it's done frequently. You might be better off trying to move the Magnolia out a bit from the fence post and also train it into a tree so that its footprint is small but the canopy can spread out. A Saucer Magnolia will be mature at 25' tall and 30' wide. If you really want a small Magnolia, the Little Girl series of hybrids tops out at 8-10' tall. Look for the names Jane, Judy, Pinkie, Randy, Ricki, Ann, Betty and Susan. No offence intended, but it is a common mistake for newbie gardeners to purchase shrubs & trees thinking they are already at their mature size and plant them in a spot that is too small. Simon
Although habit varies with particular cultivar (or unnamed seedling) saucer magnolias generally wide-spreading, unsuitable for small spaces. If you are planting for long term and only have room for a shrub take it back and get something more suitable. A saucer magnolia in Connecticut, USA had an average crown spread of 61 ft. in 1987. Another, in Philadelphia was 54 ft. across in 1980.
We have recently moved into a new house which has a very small (1.5 foot) magnolia soulangeana in the front garden. We are about to start a building project, and need to move the magnolia as otherwise it will be damaged. We have read that it may not take kindly to being transplanted, but as it is still quite small, should this be ok? Is there anything in particular that we can do to protect it during transplant and stop it from suffering too much? Many thanks.
At that size, it should be ok. Be generous with a wide rootball size and remember that Magnolia roots are fairly shallow. Magnolias don't have a fibrous root system so don't expect the roots to hold the rootball together, you'll need to ensure that yourself. If the rootball falls apart, it will damage the roots and set back the plant even more. Simon
