Whomever it was over in Easley that developed that "Little Gem" magnolia must have done it in an area protected from snow/ice.
I planted five of those things about 7 years ago at $175 a pop. Now 3 out of the last 4 years I have watched snow/ice decimate them into bushes. They cannot take any weight.
Enough is enough. There is a chainsaw in their future.