CELEBRATING 28 YEARS! Welcome to my weekly series! THE LANDSCAPE ASK PROFESSIONAL Linda K. Lillie of Sprigs & Twigs Linda K. Lillie has been President of Sprigs & Twigs, Inc. for the last 26 years. She is a graduate of Connecticut College in Botany, an accredited NOFA Organic Land Care Professional, a Connecticut Master Gardener and a national award winning landscape designer for her design and installation projects. Q: Hi Linda, I have problems with deer eating my Magnolia buds, so it never blooms. A landscaper told me it would die if it couldn't flower... We covered it this past winter, and it actually bloomed nicely. It seems to flower later than many of the magnolias around, I guess it's shaded more than I thought. However, the leaves are clearly having a problem. What should I do? - Eleanor A: Hi Eleanor, The Magnolia will not die if it does not flower. You were given incorrect information. You are right about the tree flowering later because of it being in the shade. Magnolias need full sun (6-8hrs daily) to produce lots of flowers. Shade can cause fungal problems for your Magnolia, due to poor air circulation and the reduced amount of sunlight. The high humidity and the amount of rain we have been receiving has caused more fungal problems this year. Your leaves show some fungal issues, but nothing major. Your photo shows a very thick canopy of branches. I would suggest we come out and thin it. Allowing more sunlight and air to reach the interior of the tree will deter future fungal issues and possibly encourage more flowers. We have a team of professional pruners that are experts in all kinds of shrubs and small trees. Bottom line, you do not have to do anything to the tree (except pruning). WE'RE GOING DIGITAL! DON'T MISS OUT! USE THE QR CODE, OR SUBMIT QUESTIONS TO: Email: info@sprigsandtwigs.net, or Mail: Linda Lillie, Sprigs & Twigs Inc, PO Box 245, Gales Ferry, CT 06335 Sprigs & Twigs 860-235-0752 WWW.SPRIGSANDTWIGS.NET CELEBRATING 28 YEARS ! Welcome to my weekly series ! THE LANDSCAPE ASK PROFESSIONAL Linda K. Lillie of Sprigs & Twigs Linda K. Lillie has been President of Sprigs & Twigs , Inc. for the last 26 years . She is a graduate of Connecticut College in Botany , an accredited NOFA Organic Land Care Professional , a Connecticut Master Gardener and a national award winning landscape designer for her design and installation projects . Q : Hi Linda , I have problems with deer eating my Magnolia buds , so it never blooms . A landscaper told me it would die if it couldn't flower ... We covered it this past winter , and it actually bloomed nicely . It seems to flower later than many of the magnolias around , I guess it's shaded more than I thought . However , the leaves are clearly having a problem . What should I do ? - Eleanor A : Hi Eleanor , The Magnolia will not die if it does not flower . You were given incorrect information . You are right about the tree flowering later because of it being in the shade . Magnolias need full sun ( 6-8hrs daily ) to produce lots of flowers . Shade can cause fungal problems for your Magnolia , due to poor air circulation and the reduced amount of sunlight . The high humidity and the amount of rain we have been receiving has caused more fungal problems this year . Your leaves show some fungal issues , but nothing major . Your photo shows a very thick canopy of branches . I would suggest we come out and thin it . Allowing more sunlight and air to reach the interior of the tree will deter future fungal issues and possibly encourage more flowers . We have a team of professional pruners that are experts in all kinds of shrubs and small trees . Bottom line , you do not have to do anything to the tree ( except pruning ) . WE'RE GOING DIGITAL ! DON'T MISS OUT ! USE THE QR CODE , OR SUBMIT QUESTIONS TO : Email : info@sprigsandtwigs.net , or Mail : Linda Lillie , Sprigs & Twigs Inc , PO Box 245 , Gales Ferry , CT 06335 Sprigs & Twigs 860-235-0752 WWW.SPRIGSANDTWIGS.NET