Question
i received a 3ft. tree? from a friend. im a little confused because the note w/it says 20/25ft. yet other websites say its a great shrub.is there a difference with the tree and the shrub. or is it how you grow it. ie.. my crepe myrtles are 30 ft. high .but i know they can be shrubs.. thank you.. susan

Answer
Hey, Susan.

Yes, as you know with your crepe myrtles, many trees can be kept as shrubs, and many shrubs can be allowed to grow into trees. It's all in how one prunes them. For an extreme example of how to keep a tree small, look at bonsai plants. Many of them will grow to a hundred feet tall if left on their own to grow outside.

Prune your magnolia to keep it the size you want and you shouldn't have any problem. If you do want to keep it small, when you prune it, prune just a couple of branches at a time and let it recover from that pruning before pruning other branches. I've found that if I prune monthly during the growing seasons then I don't have to worry about shock, and sometimes death, from drastic pruning like the phone and electric companies like to do.

Hope that helps.