Magnolia or flowering cherry?

[TrescoDays]

I have a beautiful new fence in full sun and want to plant something to grow up it - possibly espaliered.
Would you choose magnolia or cherry?

Flowering cherry easier to control. Magonlia grows a lot faster and bigger with less sun.

Magonlia flowers also seem to last longer.

I have both.

I've never seen a magnolia trained as a wall shrub. They don't respond well to pruning which might be why. Cherries can be grown as a fan shape but again don't espalier well. If you want to grow as espalier apples and pears work best.

There are those evergreen magnolias which are often trained as wall shrubs but I don't think the normal ones like being pruned at all and they are quite broad in shape once they get big so they won't work. Although tbh I love them so much that I would just plant one anyway.

https://www.homesandgardens.com/gardens/trees-to-espalier

I'd try a crab apple - you get blossom and fruit....

If you want to espalier it, definitely a flowering cherry or another fruit tree would be nice. Magnolia won’t really work for this.