Our magnolia

The magnolia in our front garden which had grown too big by last year. It called for drastic action and even though I had read expert opinion that magnolias won't survive hard pruning, we hacked it back, harshly. It's now full of flower buds and is a much more manageable size. Result!
My mum bought us this - she sent away for 2 plants, one for herself and one for us. When they arrived, we looked at the plants in dismay. They were 2 sticks with no leaves or even shoots - just like dead twigs really! However, I planted ours hopefully and it turned out it wasn't devoid of life at all.