Were there no single trunked specimens available where you found that one?

Those magnolias pretty naturally are bushy...uphill battle.

no matter what you end up planting .... do not remove significant canopy for at least 2 years ..

every leaf is a food making machine.. to grow the root mass.. to become established .. to start growing to specs ...

and after that point.. you can start cutting on it.. to shape it the way you want ...

also ... would it be all that bad ... if you had a 3 trunk tree ... as yours already is.. imo ... it might be more dramatic.. than single trunk .... i have found it much easier.. to change my 'goal'.. rather than force a new aesthetic on a plant ... lol ... join them.. rather than trying to beat them .. lol ...

i agree.. if you could find a specimen more in tune with your goal.. you will be years ahead in accomplishing your goal ... it might be worth paying a bit more for such ...

if you cant.... we can work on this one.. but lets do it in tree time ... years ...

btw: crabs are the only tree i know of.. affected significantly.. by fireblight ... or i should say.. malus ... and once you get outside that family .. its not all that common ... i cant believe magnolia.. might be your only choice ... [im not sure i am saying what i mean here ... maybe someone who knows what i am trying to say.. can clean it up ..]

dont recall where you are ... is this bulletproof for your zone????

ken

https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

look at these pix.. and note many are pruned into tree form.. but almost all are multi-trunked ... and not surprisingly.. many are 3 trunked .... ken

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Magnolia+Jane&t=ffcm&iax=images&ia=images

One of the reasons this group of magnolias was introduced was that they become large multi-stemmed bushy shrubs or small multi-stemmed bushy trees. It's in their genes. Pruning to a standard, or single stem, can be done, but will require constant attention. This variety will continuously produce shoots to become a large shrub.

The generally shrubby nature and comparatively small mature size go together. The simplest thing would be to take it back and get something that routinely produces few main stems, has that structure at time of purchase. Or is more easily trained into the shape you want. Otherwise let the 'Jane' develop its often naturally somewhat elevated crown on its own.

This introduction is depicted by the originating public facility as a

20-25' tall; to 20' wide....Multi-stemmed small tree; often taller than wide

Scroll down for photos of 'Jane' below the table:

https://www.usna.usda.gov/assets/images/as_pdf_image/Magnolias.pdf

cearbhaill - no there weren't. They were all like this but I don't mind a multi trunk specimen. Here are pics of a maturing and mature Jane.

Ken, I wouldn't want to remove any of the canopy, but can I limb it up and eliminate some of the stems growing from the base to make it a 3 trunk tree as you suggest? As you can see from the original pictures I posted there are 3 distinct trunks with some smaller trunks (stems really) growing from the root. I have no opposition to it being a multi-stemmed tree and even considered a birch for the spot at one time. Decided against it because it would get too tall (30'). Would it be a life long batter to stop the Jane from reverting to shrub form? What I had in mind was what was done here with Jane Magnolia. I live in Glens Falls. I can't seem to find the correct hardiness zone for my area but some have it listed at 4b and some as 5a. Anyway, this plant can take extremes to -40.

Notice that every example in your pictures is forking right at or very near the base. And can be seen to have then been skinned up many years after planting to produce bare lower trunks - not the most attractive or sophisticated approach. It would be a lot better to use a more seriously tree-like plant, that produces a significantly elevated crown on its own for such effects. One like this for instance:

https://www.usna.usda.gov/assets/images/as_pdf_image/Magnolia_Galaxy.pdf

Embothrium, When you say skinned up are you talking about limbing up? If so, then the limbing should be done when the tree is young as opposed to old?

Galaxy is very pretty but has a low, almost shrub-like appearance and canopy. Even though it would be in a mulched bed it would still be a hassle trying to get around that while mowing. I can just see it sticking into me as I was trying to move around it. Also, I want something that is open at the bottom so that you can see into my garden from the street. A limbed tree would give that view. A higher canopy would also allow more light to enter the garden. I have Rhododendrons planted along the foundation of my house and they like dappled shade, not full shade, so a shrubby tree would shade out the area too much.

Did you read the description of 'Galaxy' at the above link? It was developed for street tree use and most characteristically produces this distinctively tidy, conical and straight branched crown shape inherited from the Sprenger magnolia half of the cross - unlike the Kosar and De Vos hybrids (including 'Jane') it is not derived from a crossing of two shrubby species. With a sometimes rather large tree species being one of its parents your main problem would be with it perhaps growing more than 30 ft. tall on your site, and not it being less tree-like than 'Jane' - far from it.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=galaxy+magnolia&qpvt=galaxy+magnolia&FORM=IGRE

Embothrium, yes, it is certainly pretty and has the shape I need, though other pictures of it I searched online also show that it can have multiple trunks. Problem is it would overwhelm the space in no time and has a pretty fast rate of growth. I am thinking of returning the Jane shrub because the rate of growth, according to the National Arboretum, is only a foot a year. I'm in my 60s now. I'd like to be able to appreciate a 'tree' now. I also don't like the big leaves. They are pretty shaped but I can just see a messy cleanup in the future. I have too much work as it is. The last thing I need is more. I would really like a lacy type tree with small leaves that allows diffused light to filter into my garden (not a shade tree), that doesn't put out seed or fruit (fruit, because of the fireblight problem). I was tending towards the flowering plum but that is also susceptible according to my cooperative extension. There is a business across the street that has over a dozen flowering pear trees and every one of them has severe fireblight. Since they are not going to take down their trees anytime soon (it would probably cost them a fortune to do so) it's best that I don't plant anything that is susceptible to that disease. I also do not want a tree that is taller than 20' X 20'. 20' wide would be pushing the limits. Any suggestions?

Fire-blight is a rose family problem, fruit-producing trees from outside that family don't get it. Otherwise all trees drop something each year, if you feel you must rake up after them you're not going to find any kind of tree that doesn't generate at least some time spent doing that.

Speaking of Extension:

http://woodyplants.cals.cornell.edu/plant/search

Embothrium That's not what the Cornell Cooperative Extension told me. I was told that flowering plums can get the disease too. I do not want to take the risk of planting another tree only to have it succumb to the same disease. The tree that I am replacing has small leaves that barely make a mess. Sure, there was some leaf debris but nothing compared to the maple it replaced.

Flowering plums are in the rose family. Almond, apple, apricot, cherry, crab-apple, nectarine, peach, pear, plum, service-berry - all rose family. All the other kinds of flowering (and fruiting) trees not in the rose family - no fire blight.

Unlike 'Jane' star magnolias often produce one or a few dominating trunks on their own. With the wild species actually being a single-trunk tree of some size in nature.

I would have suggested star magnolia as an alternative for the planting being discussed here except it blooms ahead of the Kosar and De Vos hybrids, is therefore somewhat more likely to be damaged by the weather. With much of the point of the Kosar and De Vos crosses being to get the later bloom time of lily magnolia in combination with attributes of star magnolia.

Corkball, I only have the shrub a few days and after a few watering's (it is still in the pot while I am deciding whether to keep it or not) it has gotten taller already. As far as Star Magnolia is concerned, I love the flowers but didn't want white because my house is blue and white and I wanted something to play off that. What I wanted was something in pink. Besides, I have a friend that has the Stellata and while she loves it while it is in bloom often laments that it looks like it is dripping in used tissue paper when the flowers are fading. I haven't heard that complaint about the Jane Magnolia.

lovetogarden- I just bought a Jane Magnolia for a small sunny spot too. Did you start pruning yours yet? If so, how is it working out?

sharon