To chop down a magnolia tree?

[SheenaWasAPunkRocker]

We moved house in the summer - the garden needs a bit of work as it's all quite overgrown. There's a magnolia tree in one of the beds and I kind of want to chop it down and put some other stuff in there. I used to love magnolias, but our neighbours in our last house had one - it was pretty for about 5 minutes in March, then it crapped leaves and petals all over the place for the rest of the year. This one will do the same and it takes up space I want to use for other things. But trees are good aren’t they, I feel a bit bad for just chopping it down for minding its own business.

AIBU to get rid of it?

Could you give it a year, see how you feel then?

We chopped down a massive cherry blossom tree that was also pretty but blocked ALL the light from our garden. Haven't regretted it.

Agree with Rain. Let it blossom for a year before you decide.

You might fall in love with it and all the crapping leaves would be worth it

(Biased as I love magnolias)

We had one in our old garden. It was so beautiful for the short while it was in flower I forgave all the short comings. I managed to underplant it successfully too. Not that I can remember what with, but it meant it looked great year round.

I think it would be a real shame but it’s your tree!

I love The Ramones.

I wouldn’t; I don’t think. Trees are great. I’m not sure wanting to use the space for something else or not wanting to deal with the leaves and mess are great reasons to remove it.

I had this problem when we moved to this house there was a tree in the middle of the garden, I put an ad up saying it was free to anyone who could dig it out. A lovely gent came and did just that he was pleased with a free tree and I didn't feel guilty about chopping it down. The best of both worlds.

I want to say 'please don't' as a new neighbour chopped down a beautiful one just after they moved to our street and it was gorgeous to look at. But it was smack bang in the middle of their front garden and probably annoying for all the reasons you cite. Your garden, do as you see fit (I like headsdown's idea though)

Hmm, I could give it a year - but I feel like I already know the benefits/disadvantages of it from having one in the neighbours' garden. They are very pretty. Briefly. Then mostly annoying.

HeadsDown - how the hell did they dig it out? How big was it?

Yes definitely sell it. People will pay well for established plants.

We have got the same dilemma - a beautiful magnolia that encroaches into half our garden. I can already feel the burning eyes of our neighbours for digging out a lot of established (but badly neglected) plants to make our garden more child friendly. Not sure I'm brave enough to take out the magnolia.....even though it would mean the kids had more space to run around!!!

I have a rule of thumb, as we live in a conservation area and if we want to prune trees we have to get planning permission - so none of mine get to be more than 10 feet tall and then they are dug out, turned to firewood and a new one planted. It means we get loads of variety regularly.

We have recently really chopped back our magnolia tree. It’s lovely but it was blocking light and the grass was very patchy as it was spreading over the lawn. Hopefully it won’t die and will now be more manageable but we’ll see!

Gawd we’ve just chopped down 3 trees and have 2 to go. I had managed to ignore the guilt aspect and now I feel bad OP! Gah.

Could you grow something up through it to flower in summer?
I love them but I wouldn't give a big one house room unless I had a massive garden.

Magnolias are really beautiful and expensive trees, please don't just chop it down! I'm carefully nurturing one I inherited from my Granny who had been keeping it in a pot. Fingers crossed for blossoms next year.

The world needs more trees.

It was quite large and the roots had spread quite far, it took him ages to get it all up but he managed in the end and because he wasn't paying for it then I suppose he didn't mind the work (after all mature trees are very expensive!)

Magnolias can be chopped back hard - I did it to one in my garden. It came back even better with bigger flowers which seemed to last longer.

Try cutting it back and see what happens next year, if you still don't like it, then hoik it out.

Place an ad on freeycle. Someone will collect and give it a good home!

I think the magnolia has a reprieve. I think I'll chop it back, see what I can grow up/around it and see how I feel about it next year.

I'm still amazed to know that people will buy/dig up fully grown trees!

You could thin the branches out to lighten the crown - more light gets through and the tree looks less "blocky" iyswim. Then you could grow a climber up it, or underplant beneath with stuff like cyclamen and colchicums (flowering at times of the year when you haven't got a lot of flowers around, which is nice!)

And, at least Magnolias are well behaved and tend to be trouble free! You don't get suckers from the roots wrecking your paths and having to be torn up, for example, and although they do drop petals they aren't any different from other flowering plants in this respect...

I'm glad you're giving it a year, which is always recommended with gardens that are new to you anyway. You never know what might pop up. And the Magnolia might turn out to be a type that you find you really love, there are many fabulous varieties out there, not just one!

Nooooo please please don’t, they’re bloody gorgeous trees

We’ve got one in the front garden. It was apparently a miniature magnolia. It’s enormous and completely blocks the light in my living room. Pisses me off!!

First thing I did when I moved here was take out four trees. One was an enormous fir and blocked all light to our snug and bedroom, a bloody conker monster which was in danger of damaging the foundations and two silver birch which were wrecking the neighbour's fence. I've planted 5 trees to balance it out (3 fruit, 2 flowers only).

A magnolia though? I'd hard prune and underplant. They're beautiful.