By Freckles76
United Kingdom 
I have a magnolia tree in my front yard. I don't know what variety it is but it has a lot of white/pinky flowers. It needs to be pruned as it has been left to get quite large by the previous owners. I know that I am not supposed to prune it until after it has flowered but how soon after flowering can I prune it and how harshly can I prune it?
21 Mar, 2011
Answers
Can you raise the canopy? Consider taking off low branches to clear space below, leaving the upper branches to continue flowering and developing. If it's Magnolia x soulangeana (which it sounds like, though there are a few more!) it will reach a maximum height of around 18-20ft. If removal of the lower branches is an option to create space, I would do this rather than prune it down in height.
21 Mar, 2011
Hi Freckles and welcome to GoY. Do you know which magnolia you have? Also do you know its age? It is not a good idea to prune an mature magnolia.
21 Mar, 2011