Southern magnolia types

[704LH]

Hi I wanted to know if someone has experience growing DD Blanchard Magnolia vs. Little Gem vs Brackens and what are the pros and cons.

I cannot find much information on this online for some reason

I am trying to cover an area for both privacy and aesthetics. its 50 feet wide and 10 foot away from the fence.

one landscaper came to the house to take a look and said 3 brackens would do the trick - but looking at the mature dimensions, it seems that they will outgrow the space.

what about DD blanchard?

Again, any help would be nice...

I am in zone 8a

 

[oneeye]

The main difference is DD Blanchard grows much larger than Little Gem. You can grow them both easily in the zone and area you live in. The only problem I have with Magnolia is the way they have leaf drop every year. When the plant matures the large leaves drop most of the Summer and not at one time. Lots of leaf litter. Most landscaping companies will charge extra if you have large Magnolias.

 

[DirtMechanic]

The leaves on mine are like dragon scales and nothing grows under it.

 

[Twigs]

1) DD Blanchard is the largest version reaching up to 50-60ft high 30-35ft wide in time with a fuller Southern Magnolia shape.
2) The Bracken get to be 30ft tall 20-25ft wide...cold hardy down to zone 6/5b protected. Pyramidal shape.
3) The Little Gem as the name eludes, is the smallest of the magnolias. The height
15-20ft and only 8-10 wide. Random to both shapes.

Magnolias like steady soil conditions, nothing soaking wet, nothing extremely dry. Leaves can be annoying.

 

[704LH]

Ok thank you

So what would be the best choice for 50 by 10 area?
And how many?

How should I arrange them?

 

[Twigs]

The 50 is not a problem, the 10 is your limitation. If this is for the lifetime of the tree...Little Gem’s 2-lines (3 along the length of your fence about 5ft away) (2 on a second line 7 feet away from fence fill the gaps. (Or a 2/2 combo)
If the lifetime of the trees are not your worry...the Bracken will work as suggested...they would need to trim up the trees to overreach your measurements/fence, but in time they will crowd. (10-12 years)

 

[704LH]

Thank you so much for your help

This is going to be our forever home - we paid a lot of money for it and my kids are about to start kindergarten

We will be here for the next 12-15 years
Between bracken and lgm

How many brackens should I consider?

The landscaper had suggested 4 in a line

Is it worth getting 95 gallon trees?

I looked at some mature lgm at my street and they looked pretty huge too

 

[704LH]

I was also told by about her tree farm that in Dallas area these trees don’t tend to grow as tall and she suggested dd Blanchard

I’m getting information overload

Everyone is trying to sell their product too

 

[Twigs]

It is true that the size will be different in that area of Texas. The limited rain, mostly the high temperatures will stunt a trees growth. A 100yr old tree there looks quite different than one of the same in let’s say Mississippi. The overall, differences still applies on each tree...one is bigger than the other and so on. You can take about 10, sometimes 25ft off the overall height of big trees in your area due to weather extremes. Magnolias don’t grow naturally there.
I lived in Abilene for 13-years. The Little Gems may still reach 20-25ft in time with regular watering. First year after planting is the hardest. I don’t know about 95gal trees...Wow!!! 30gal Gem magnolias will run around $350-$400 each.
I am just going off of 10x50 with fence, assuming an older/bigger tree will be allowed to grow over the dimensions and assuming that you intend the trees take the entire space. Good Luck

 

[704LH]

Thank you so much for your help

Can you please suggest an arrangement for brackens if I choose to go with that variety?
Let’s assume 25% reduction in overall size from their max limits due to stunting.

Brackens is also more cold hardy - down to zone 5 and sometimes we get snow and freezing weather

Not sure if that’s the reason the landscaper had recommended that

 

[Twigs]

If you use Brackens, 2ea will grow to over-fill your dimensions in 10-15 years.
3ea will work to fill the space even faster. Crowded but nature over plants/crowds trees all the time. At some point they would probably need to be trimmed up to walk past or grow over, width wise; your dimensions. They will take all the space...not sure if you have wires, buildings, other trees or sidewalks to navigate. I would not recommend this practice with all trees, but magnolias have less issues with diseases.