yes.. use the nuditity of the deciduous plants.. to your advantage ... at least until you are so experienced.. it doesnt matter ... [new word of the day.. lol] i am surprised .. as new as your plantings are.. that you are already contemplating pruning ... both here and in the tree forum ... just keep in mind.. severe topping can have a major impact on recent transplants ... they need those leaves/needles to grow the roots toward full establishment. .. which i am sure you already know ... a little nip and tuck.. guidance, one might say.. surely wont matter ... ken

Suntower, I hate to be the bearer of not so good news, but the split in the trunk bark is not good. It is extremely vulnerable to getting a disease now. That is a really bad split, that is why the tree is sending out another shoot, it will do that if it feels the main trunk is diseased. Sorry, don't cut it off. Not if that is why the tree is doing that, and by the look at that bark, I believe it is. You may loose the orginal tree, and that extra sprout of branch will be the tree left. I hope it heals alright for you, just don't cut yet.

I think that all you want to do is limb up the tree to give more clearance underneath? This is relatively straightforward and can be done now. Don't do it too late in summer because you don't want the tree to go into winter with open wounds. Prune back to the base of the collar, but not flush with the trunk. Use one cut to remove large branches several inches from the trunk and another to trim back cleanly to the collar. Small branches can be removed in a single cut but avoid any tearing that leaves a jagged wound or damages the bark on the tree.

I've seen lots of DDB, it is a popular landscape tree in the SE. I've only seen one EB, my tree. EB's main claim to fame is it's supposed hardiness. Mine is in full sun and wide open, no large trees anywhere near it. It is about 20-25 years old from a one gallon. It is wider than high, branched to the ground, and fairly open with somewhat long willowy branches. It took a long time to bloom, and is even now a rather shy bloomer. Blooms are of average size. For me EB has been of average hardiness, it has never lost any wood or suffered any bark split, but it has had browned foliage, though never defoliated. On a scale of 1-5 I rate it 3. DDB is very popular and often seen in private landscapes and especially public ones. It is upright in youth and more spreading as it ages, but taller than wide. Foliage is deep glossy green above and copper/red beneath, especially when young. The tree presents a lush, rich appearance and is a vigorous grower. Floriferousness has been average, but blooms are well formed and slightly smaller than average, a good thing IMHO. Hardiness has been on a par with EB for me, the literature says less hardy than other hardy clones, zone 7. On a scale of 1-5 I rate it 5. All magnolias grown under conditions you describe will tend to be open, with slightly larger than average foliage and less than average bloom, all due to shade. If DDB and EB are the only clones under consideration, my choice would be DDB.