21 Famous Columnar Trees

Fastigiata, Totem, Stricta, Slender, Arrow…

These are all terms used to describe columnar trees.

You also see them a lot abroad, for example in Italy and Spain, where the slender, towering trees often line the driveways of expensive villas.

A columnar tree is ideal if you have limited space but still want some height in your garden

What exactly is a columnar tree?

A columnar tree is a taller shrub or tree that grows in a slender, upright form. These are generally special cultivars of well-known or lesser-known (hedge) plants. They are usually not only slender but also have a very neat shape.

What kinds of columnar trees are there, anyway?

• Betula pendula ‘Fastigiata’ (columnar birch)

• Carpinus betulus ‘Fastigiata’ (columnar hornbeam)

• Carpinus betulus ‘Frans Fontaine’ (columnar hornbeam)

• Carpinus betulus ‘A. Beeckman’ (columnar hornbeam)

• Cedrus libani ‘Fastigiata’ (columnar cedar)

• Cupressus sempervirens ‘Totem’ (Italian cypress)

• Cupressus sempervirens ‘Stricta’ (Italian cypress)

• Fagus sylvatica ‘Dawyck’ (columnar beech)

• Fagus sylvatica ‘Dawyck Gold’ (yellow columnar beech)

• Fagus sylvatica ‘Dawyck Purple’ (red beech)

• Ginkgo biloba ‘Fastigiata Blagon’ (Japanese nut tree)

• Juniperus scopulorum ‘Blue Arrow’ (juniper)

• Koelreutia paniculata ‘Fastigiata’ (soap columnar tree)

• Liquidambar styraciflua ‘Slender Silhouette’ (columnar sweetgum)

• Pinus sylvestris ‘Fastigiata’ (columnar)

• Populus nigra ‘Italica’ (Italian poplar)

• Prunus serrulata ‘Amanogawa’ (columnar cherry)

• Quercus robur ‘Fastigiata’ (columnar English oak)

• Quercus robur ‘Fastigiata Koster’ (columnar English oak)

• Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata’ (columnar yew)

• Ulmus hollandica ‘Wredei’ (Goudiep)