Does anyone know what kind of tree this is?

[austinnetx]

Originally Posted by Kimberly silver

Does anyone know what kind of trees these are?

I really need to see close-ups of the leaves and bark to say for sure. A lot of trees look the same but can only be distinguished by looking at the leaves/branches/bark.

[austinnetx]

Originally Posted by Lakewooder

Howard Garrett Dirt Doctor (and Lakewood resident) advises not to cut the lower limbs -- he says they are supposed to touch the ground. Of course you need a lot of space for a big magnolia like that and you hardly ever seem them untrimmed from the ground.

A healthy hardwood will shed its lower branches due to shading of them over time. This not only allows it to conserve water ( and survive drought) for the leaves that get full sun, but protect it from fire, insects, and disease coming in the from the dead branches.

All the old trees in Texas that predate settlement have no branches touching the ground for this reason.

Proper pruning assists this natural process and helps the tree to fit into its landscape location.

[Lakewooder]

Well I have three magnolias (different properties) and they are all trimmed - I know two of them were planted in the 1950s and one may date to the 1930s.

[austinnetx]

Magnolias are very interesting trees for a number of reasons. Its flowers are designed to be pollinated by beetles. The magnolia family has both evergreen and decidous plants. Its not a pyrophilic plant.

Magnolia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[cheleebean]

I have a sentimental fondness for Magnolia trees. My grandparents had one in their yard and it grew all my life, and is still growing in the same spot. (I'm 42.) When the magnola blooms open, they look like a large lotus blossom, and the air will be heavy with a lemony smell. I can close my eyes and remember the smell so well, sitting on a bench as a kid, under that tree. I think as long as you rake under it and keep it pruned, it should be ok. There are websites available for the care of these trees. I looked into getting one for our backyard but I just haven't done it yet.
It seems like my grandmother watered it a lot. As far as I know, the owners now have left the tree to it's own demise (--it's part of a huge pasture area), yet it still grows, but the roots are deep and there's a well nearby.

[Saintmarks]

As a Georgia Native, I have thought the Magnolias here in TX were of a different variety. The ones in Georgia grew huge and fast, the ones I have seen here seem to be a smaller variety with smaller leaves.

I might be mistaken, I am not an expert, but I thought that Magnolias have gender (male and female versions) and one of the two do not bloom. Any insight on this?

[Grainraiser]

I know for a fact that they are slow growers. My parents have some Magnolias that are 50+ years old. I large specimens here are Southern Magnolias. The smaller ones are Little Gem Magnolias.

[Saintmarks]

The Southern Magnolia we had in our yard in Georgia was massive in about 25 years, dominated the whole front yard. Our neighbor had to take his out, the roots had done a number on his sewer line, had to replace the whole line from the house to the street.

Trees as a whole are small compared to trees east of here. From Tyler East to Georgia (and on up the eastern US), the trees seem to be twice as large as what grows in this area. Is it the soil? I wouldn't think it was that much of a difference in weather from here to the rest of the southeast, maybe a little less annual rainfall here but not that much of a difference for the size and types of trees to be so different. Any insight you knowledgeable TX natives?

[NativeSprings]

We have a Teddy Bear Magnolia which doesn't get very big....it's beautiful with big white blooms in the spring and summer!
We also have 5 Crape Myrtles on our property. They are soooo easy to take care of. Just make sure that they get plenty of water in the hot sun and they will do the rest. Crape Myrtles can get quite large, depending on what variation you have. You may need to trim it from time to time.

[Brent Jones]

I would say horizontal