8 Great Columnar Trees for the Midwest

These deciduous beauties make excellent focal points and are the perfect options for small gardens and spaces

upright elementsin the landscape become “ visual beacons ” and act not only asfocal pointsbut as element of accent and contributors of scale . Narrow and columnlike deciduous trees can be positioned and utilise to be major contributor throughout the landscape painting but also certainly have economic value in thosesmaller gardensand limited spaces that wo n’t suit a wider specimen . There is an tremendous reach of likely candidates to serve as a solid , erect “ exclamation degree ” in the landscape , and they are typically varietal extract of woody plant species that we might already have run into at our local nurseries andgarden middle . As the eye travel and visually absorbs the landscape painting , these well - positioned , columnar treeswill be long appreciated for their awe-inspiring contribution of form and social system throughout our gardens .

Look for columnar trees that have other ornamental qualities as well

Consider the value not only of scale and form of these narrow-minded contributor as they grow in the garden , but also the individual characteristic supply by each natural selection . These features may include beautiful flush , perfume , intriguing texture , colourful foliage , fall color , ornamental stems or bark , and certainly a strong wintertime silhouette . It ’s vital to consider , in progress , the motive of those selections in terms of proper siting , soil preference , sunshine , and other cultural factors . Research usable selection and peck a columnlike candidate that is ripe for you . Become familiar with the ultimate summit and breadth of these tree as well , and sympathise their increasingly dramatic contribution in the placement in which they are site . Keep in judgement that references to size might be based on a certain long time and relative charge per unit of growth . Here are 10 tantalizing selections for the Midwest .

Check out these 8 amazing columnar trees

1. ‘Monumentale’ sugar maple

While there are many amazing survival of sugar maple ( Acersaccharumand cvs . , Zones 3–8 ) on the mart , the assortment ‘ Monumentale ’ ( Acer saccharumsubsp.nigrum‘Monumentale ’ , syn . Acer saccharumsubsp.nigrum‘Temple ’s Upright ’ ) is a strikingly narrow-minded and uniform tree that grows to 30 feet tall and 3 feet broad . Great for a tight spot or used in repeating as a strong erect element in full sun to fond shade , it will also get some nice fall color in the orange reach and needs very lilliputian pruning or shaping over sentence . The variety show ‘ Newton Sentry ’ ( Acer saccharumsubsp.nigrum‘Newton Sentry ’ ) is also an splendid columnar selection .

2. Parkland Pillar®Asian white birch

I just planted five of these along the nerve pathway of a little garden to offer a solid perpendicular factor , logical symmetry , and golden fall semblance and white decorative bark . Narrow , erect , and obtuse , Parkland Pillar ® Asian white birch ( Betula platyphylla‘JEFPARK ’ , zone 3–7 ) is a great accent tree , or multiple specimen will act upon in tandem as a privacy screen in full sun to partial shade . Both heat and drouth patient of , this fast - growing pick reaches up to 40 feet tall and 6 groundwork wide .

3. Prairie Sentinel®hackberry

The upswept branches of Prairie Sentinel ® hackberry ( Celtis occidentalis‘JFS - KSU1 ’ , Zones 4–7 ) make for a uniformly minute look key out as “ tightly fastigiate . ” At 40 feet tall and 10 human foot wide , it has become quite democratic as both an urban parkway tree in those traditional narrow street medians and in the menage landscape in full - sun locations . The yellow fall color and interesting barque are of note , as is the extreme urban permissiveness of this species ( drought , passion , inhuman , current of air , pollution , and a broad range of mountains of soils ) .

4. ‘Red Obelisk’ European beech

Deep maroon , crinkled foliage makes ‘ Red Obelisk ’ European beech ( Fagussylvatica‘Red Obelisk ’ , Zones 4–7 ) a very striking vertical specimen in the landscape . The physical body for this motley , regardless of age , is always rigid and uniformly relative as a “ maroon pillar . ” The smooth silver barque is nice as well . This tree does require full Lord’s Day , decent soil , and passable moisture , so a snatch of pampering is in order and will be worth the effort . Like other European beeches , ‘ Red Obelisk ’ is slow rise . It will finally hit 25 foot tall and 5 fundament wide at maturity .

5. Goldspire™ ginkgo

A nonfruiting male person , Goldspire ™ ginkgo ( Ginkgobiloba‘Blagon ’ , Zones 4–9 ) is a narrow and upright kind that stands 25 feet tall and 7 substructure wide . It showcases beautiful foliage that turn a open gilded yellow in autumn and brings all the staying power of the maidenhair tree into a narrower presentation and tight manikin . kind of air befoulment , heat , and other stress , Goldspire ™ will have impressive longevity in a broad range of grow situations .

6. ‘Slender Silhouette’ sweetgum

If you ever find yourself at the beautiful Newfields campus correctly in front of the Indianapolis Museum of Art , check out the planting of ‘ Slender Silhouette ’ sweetgum ( Liquidambar styraciflua‘Slender Silhouette ’ , Zones 5–8 ; photo above ) . What a impregnable statement this uniformly upright , extremely narrow , and columnar tree provides ! As with the straight coinage of sweetgum , moisture is crucial and slightly acidic soils in full sun are preferred . This diversity has very few fruits and does exhibit gracious hints of orangish , white-livered , and maroon dip color on the star - shaped leaf . At 40 feet tall and 5 feet wide , ‘ Slender Silhouette ’ is a dramatic vertical component in nearly any setting .

7. ‘Sunspire’ magnolia

It is a rarity to see an erect magnolia ( Magnoliaspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–9 ) , and this hybrid survival of the fittest is conspicuously columnar with fastigiate branching . With eld , ‘ Sunspire ’ magnolia ( Magnolia‘Sunspire ’ , geographical zone 5–8 ) reaches 25 foot tall and 8 metrical foot wide with a slightly wider base that tapers to the top . The deep lily-livered flowers , hold erect , arrive late in outpouring and forfend most of the recent frost that hassle other former blossom species and varieties . Fun sun and evenly moist but well - drain soils are ideal for this Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . But watch out—‘Sunspire ’ is not befoulment tolerant . As an accent or focal point , this magnolia has few rivals in the fountain .

8. Kindred Spirit®oak

With quite a few columnlike oaks on the market , Kindred Spirit ® oak ( Quercus×warei‘Nadler ’ , Zones 4–9 ) is one of my front-runner for a systematically fuddled form . This hybrid was make with the crossing of upright English oak ( Quercus robur , zone 5–8 ) and swamp white oak ( Quercus bicolor , Zones 4–8 ) . At 35 feet marvelous and 6 ft full , it is a expectant selection for full - sun urban environments , where it displays drought , pollution , and salt tolerance and will handle the Great Compromiser land . Kindred Spirit ® stands up to wind and water ice stress as well . It also has nice white-livered color late in the fall . Two other celebrated columnar oaks to keep a look out for are Crimson Spire ™ oak ( Quercus‘Crimschmidt ’ , Zones 4–7 ) and Beacon ® swamp white oak ( Quercus bicolor‘Bonnie and Mike ’ , Zones 4–8 ) , both of which grow in the ambit of 40 to 45 feet marvelous and 15 feet wide .

— Mark Dwyer is the garden manager for the Edgerton Hospital Healing Garden in Edgerton , Wisconsin , and he operate on Landscape Prescriptions by MD .

Photos : Mark Dwyer

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