Hi,

I have a 15' gap in my landscape in a moist, organically rich, partial shade/shade location. I initially intended to plant a Northern Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)in the spot; I've grown spicebush shrubs to around 15' wide and quite tall (I didn't measure the heights, but online sources say even up to 5 meters rarely) so the location (space-wise and conditions-wise is ideal for it).

However, I have an extra 10' Sweetbay Magnolia (M. virginiana var. virginiana) that I need a spot for and for the same reasons, the 15' wide location would be perfect for this as well. I've seen them in my region grow (when in partial shade) to an open-growth, spreading formation of around 25' tall and 15' wide, with wide trunks that bare no foliage until quite a few feet toward the canopy.

Can I plant both the Spicebush and Sweetbay Magnolia together, only 5 feet apart from each other occupying the same space? I would prune the spicebush low-enough until the sweetbay magnolia grows tall enough that they spicebush can occupy the lower 12' to 15' of the magnolia's area as an understory shrub, and so the majority of the magnolia's foliage would start at around 12'- 15' above ground all the way up as far as it grows tall.

A variation on this plan would be to plant two spicebush shrubs 7 or 8' apart, being planted on both sides of the sweetbay magnolia (both around 5' close to the magnolia), thereby giving each of the two spicebushes only half of their optimal area, which might (?)keep them from growing as tall as they normally would (as you can tell, I'm not a fan of pruning, resisting normal growth habits). I'm worried that this may make for even more density of foliage and poor circulation for the lower portion of the magnolia and not look as good.

By the way, I might just leave the spot for a single spicebush IF in nature, in the northern states (New Jersey, etc.) it is that sweetbay magnolia's, on occasion, only get to around 12' at full maturity. I've read that. My experience is that I've seen them small like that, but perhaps due to poor growing conditions or them being young. I've seen them around here in swamps and wetland forest as small trees, despite what you might read on the internet (i.e. to 15' or to 20' tall). But perhaps, when left in the open without competition, they don't grow as trees but as numerously multiple-trunk shrubs.

Thanks,

Steve