Hello there I live in a townhouse within a community of townhouses attached. I planted a Southern Magnolia tree in 2005 when I first moved in. At the time, the tree was about 8-10 feet tall. It has now at least doubled in size and width and it is becoming a problem as it has spread across my fence into my neighbor's yard and is hitting my house. It has also grown many branches and leaves underneath and I cant get access to my water spigot unless I crawl...I need to prune this tree back but am afraid that it will kill the tree. It is a beautiful tree as you can see and obviously loves it here since it is growing so well. I dont just want to call any landscaper who will come and cut it back - I want to know what I need to do correctly. Please let me know - here are a couple of pics from 2007 and 2009. Thanks for your helo, Lisa
Cut offending branches back or in some cases, out (as in back to the trunk). Attach a short section of hose with a valve on the end so you can access the water without going back to the house. If hose connections leaking or hose bursting due to spigot being on all summer a concern then maybe more serious extension of water access out into garden worth considering. Pruning the tree up so high you can walk upright back to the house would spoil it, as it is it is already branching high enough to result in a gap between the bottom of its foliage and the bed beneath, allowing all the paraphernalia stored behind it to be more visible (looks like you need a garden cabinet or shed where your stuff can be stowed in a more accessible location). Except for bald area at bottom tree is furnishing space well and is not out of scale. Keeping it in scale will require some snipping back of branches here and there in the future.
Thank you for your response. Since I am totally green and do not want anyone touching my tree can I clarify what you are saying? By cutting offending branches back to the trunk - do you mean cut them completely off as close to the trunk as possible? From the bottom where it is close to the ground? "Pruning the tree up so high you can walk upright back to the house would spoil it, as it is it is already branching high enough to result in a gap between the bottom of its foliage and the bed beneath, allowing all the paraphernalia stored behind it to be more visible (looks like you need a garden cabinet or shed where your stuff can be stowed in a more accessible location)". Clarification - So what you are saying is to leave the branches already hitting the house alone? I dont understand your statement about that it is already branching high enough to result in a gap between the bottom of its foliage and the bed beneath.....what exactly do you mean? By bed beneath do you mean the ground? Problem is I dont have another area to store the shed - that is where I wanted to place the shed but the tree is too close to the sliding door.....What about the branches that are hanging over the fence onto the neighbor's property? Im sorry for all this but I really love this tree and dont want to ruin it and you seem to be an expert at this.... Thank you for your time and response. Lisa
