what kind of patio ... ken

Hi all, I m looking for a Magnolia tree/shrub to plant in my frontyard. It should be small since I don t have that much space. I saw a Magnolia Centennial which looks great and is hardy to my zone. Does anyone have this shrub and how do they like it?? If you have recommendations for any other Magnolias that will do well in my zone please let me know. I don t care about the colour: I only need it to be smallish and smell great. When would be a good time to plant it? S

I planted a 'Royal Star' almost 10 yrs ago when it was just a twig. It is in a fairly dry site and left pretty much to its own devices as it's in a isolated corner of the garden. For the first few years the flowers seemed insignificant and I was slightly disappointed, especially to the lack of scent. However the last 2 or 3 years, it's been gathering steam and last spring the flowers were very lovely, just smothering the entire tree. The fragrance was very pleasant - light but definitely there. It was so pretty, I was inspired to rejuvenate that corner of the garden and put in an entirely new bed. The tree is now about 5' tall & 4' wide - I'm sure its small size is due to the very dry soil in summer, as well as the fact that I've never amended the soil. In fact, it looks rather nice, like a bonsai specimen. On the other hand, my neighbour has a similar tree - m. stellata but I cannot be sure it's a 'Royal Star'- and it's more like 15'high. I gave it a very light pruning for shape - heck, I might even throw a bit of compost on it this winter.

Thanks for your response. We have a row of arborvitae that screened our deck from our neighbors. The deer have destroyed them and after several years it is obvious they need to go. Pictures below. Two years ago we started a new barrier behind the arborvitae with Dragon Lady hollies, cryptomeria, a yellow wood, and a weeping cedar. There is a hill so we do not need as much height, so 6 to 8 feet will work and more height is a bonus. This year we wanted to fill in holes so we were looking at Prague viburnum for the most important screening locations, a dwarf juniper, and several of the sweet thing magnolia. The magnolias will go higher up the hill where density is less critical. The new plants are staggered over a much larger area and not in a line like the arborvitae Unfortunately the cedar got borers and needs to be remove. We a looking at a weeping Serbian as a replacement. The goal is to set the evergreens and then fill in with various deciduous shrubs before cutting down the now ugly arborvitae. The only plant I did not know was the magnolia. I was told sweet thing will hold its leaves in the winter, grow 6 to 8 feet, and it deer resistant. What has your experience been?