Columnar or Fastigiate Trees

Tagged as: Columnars, Fastigiates

Trees that are naturally narrow, usually with a single trunk, and have a shorter, uniform branch spread are referred to as columnar trees. Trees that have many trunks or branches that grow erect and close together to form a uniform, narrow crown are referred to as fastigiate trees. The two names are often inter-changed; however, fastigiate trees are usually created in nursery selection, while columnar trees can be mutations in nature from normal forms that occur naturally.

Columnar or fastigiate trees make ideal candidates for landscape areas where space is restricted, such as parkways strips, the area between a street and sidewalk or driveway. Columnar trees often are recommended in parking lots, sidewalk planters or pits, smaller home landscapes, or near a corner of buildings or deck with a confined planting space where a conventional tree with wide-spreading branches would not be appropriate.

There are many trees with a columnar habit available. Here are a few recommendations

LARGE TREES ( over 30 feet)
Name	Height x Width
Armstrong Freeman's Maple   Acer x freemanii ‘Armstrong’	40+ x 15
Marmo Freeman's  Maple   Acer x freemanii ‘Marmo’	50 x 30
Autumn Spire Red Maple Acer rubrum ‘Autumn Spire’	50 x 25
Bowhall Maple   Acer rubrum ‘Bowhall’	40 x 15
Greencolumn Black Maple Acer saccharum ssp. nigrum ‘Greencolumn’	65 x 25
Dakota Pinnacle® Asian White Birch Betula platyphylla ‘Fargo’	30 x 8
Upright European Hornbeam Carpinus betulus ‘Fastigiata’	40 x 20
Upright European Beech Fagus sylvatica ‘Fastigiata’	40 x 10
Princeton Sentry Ginkgo Ginkgo biloba ‘Princeton Sentry’	60 x 20
Upright European Aspen Populus tremula ‘Erecta’	30 x 8
Crimsonspire™ Oak Quercus ‘Crimschmidt’’	45 x 30
Upright English Oak Quercus robur ‘Fastigiata’	20 x 8
Regal Prince® English Oak Quercus x warei ‘Long’	60 x 20
Shawnee Brave™ Bald-Cypress Taxodium distichum ‘Mickelson’	50 x 20
American Sentry™ linden Tilia americana ‘McKSentry’	40 x 30
Legend™ American Basswood Tilia americana ‘Wandell’	60 x 30
INTERMEDIATE & SMALL ORNAMENTAL TREES (15-30 feet)
Cumulus Allegheny Serviceberry Amelanchier laevis ‘Cumulus’ (single-stemmed)	20 x 18
Ballerina Serviceberry Amelanchier ‘Ballerina’ (single-stemmed)	20 x 15
Adirondack Crabapple Malus ‘Adirondack’	12 x 6
Red Jewel Crabapple Malus ‘Red Jewel’	18 x 12
Spire Hillier’s Cherry Prunus x hillieri ‘Spire’	20 x 8
Chanticleer Callery Pear Pyrus calleryana ‘Chanticleer’	30 x 15
Upright Korean Mountain-Ash Sorbus alnifolia’Fastigiata’	30 x 20
Ivory Silk Japanese Tree Lilac Syringa reticulata ssp. reticulata ‘Ivory Silk’	20 x 15
EVERGREENS
Blue Trail Rocky Mountain Juniper Juniperus scopulorum ‘Blue Trail’	15-20 x 4-6
Skyrocket Rocky Mountain Juniper Juniperus scopulorum ‘Skyrocket’	12-18 x2-3
Iseli Fastigiate Blue Spruce Picea pungens ‘Iseli Fastigiate’	10-15 x 5
Upright Blue Spruce Picea pungens ‘Glauca Fastigiata’	15-20 x 3-5
Arnold Sentinel Austrian Pine Pinus nigra ‘Arnold Sentinel’	20-30 x 5-10
Upright Eastern White Pine Pinus strobus ‘Fastigiata’	30-50 x 10-15
Green-Leaved Anglo-Japanese Yew Taxus x media ‘Viridis’	10 x 3
Degroot’s Spire Emerald Eastern Arborvitae Thuja occidentalis ‘Degroot’s Emerald Spire’	6-12 x 3-5
Emerald Arborvitae Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’	10-15 x 3-4
Hetz’ Wintergreen Eastern Arborvitae Thuja occidentalis ‘Hetz Wintergreen’	20-30 x 5-8
Malonya Arborvitae Thuja occidentalis ‘Malonya’	30-40 x ----
Pyramidal Eastern Arborvitae Thuja occidentalis ‘Pyramidalis’	15-20 x 5-8

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