The distinctive, slender trees that stand like green exclamation points in the landscape are a common sight in urban and cultivated areas. Their unique vertical form immediately draws the eye, providing a sense of height and structure where broader trees might overwhelm the space. This characteristic growth habit allows them to fit seamlessly into smaller gardens or line avenues with architectural precision. These trees possess an aesthetic appeal, adding a formal and sometimes dramatic flair to property boundaries and entryways.
Understanding Columnar and Fastigiate Growth
The tall, narrow shape of these trees is the result of a specific genetic trait that botanists classify using the terms “columnar” and “fastigiate.” This growth pattern occurs naturally in certain species and cultivated varieties, not through extensive pruning. The key difference lies in the angle at which the lateral branches emerge from the main trunk. Instead of growing outward horizontally, the branches grow almost parallel and tightly angled upward toward the sky.
In a columnar tree, the height-to-width ratio is typically around 5-to-1, giving the tree a cylindrical appearance. Fastigiate trees exhibit an even more pronounced narrowness, with some having a height-to-width ratio closer to 10-to-1, creating a pencil-like form. The upright growth is linked to how the tree’s apical meristem—the primary growing point—favors vertical expansion over lateral spread. While the narrow form is most defined when the trees are young, older specimens generally retain their slender profile.
Identifying the Most Common Tall and Skinny Trees
- Italian Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens): This evergreen conifer is famous for its association with the Mediterranean landscape. It has dark green, dense, scale-like foliage that maintains its color throughout the year. It can reach heights of 40 to 70 feet, yet it typically maintains a narrow spread of only three to six feet wide. The Italian Cypress is valued for its longevity and drought tolerance once established, making it a staple in warmer climates.
- Lombardy Poplar (Populus nigra ‘Italica’): This deciduous tree is known for its rapid growth rate, sometimes shooting up five to six feet in a single year once established. It forms a slender column of numerous short, upward-pointing branches, reaching a mature height of 50 to 60 feet with a spread of only 10 to 12 feet. However, the Lombardy Poplar is often short-lived, frequently falling victim to canker disease within 10 to 15 years.
- ‘Emerald Green’ Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’): This smaller evergreen is found in residential landscaping across North America. This cultivar has bright emerald green foliage that holds its color well, even through the winter months. It maintains a naturally narrow, pyramidal shape, maturing at 12 to 15 feet high with a width of just three to four feet. Its compact, dense foliage and slow growth rate make it a low-maintenance option for creating a formal, year-round screen.
- ‘Skyrocket’ Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum ‘Skyrocket’): This fastigiate evergreen provides a striking vertical accent. It is one of the narrowest junipers, with a typical mature height of 15 to 20 feet and a pencil-thin width of two to three feet. The foliage has a distinctive silvery blue-green color. The tree is notably hardy and drought-tolerant, making it well-suited for a variety of challenging soil and climate conditions.
Landscaping Applications and Practical Uses
The narrow form of these upright trees provides unique functional advantages in landscape design, especially in smaller or confined spaces. Their height without excessive width allows them to be planted close to structures, walkways, or property lines where a spreading tree would be inappropriate.
Planting these trees in a row creates an effective visual barrier, often used to establish privacy screens or windbreaks. The dense, upright branching structure, particularly in evergreens, offers year-round coverage and protection from wind. They are frequently used to punctuate the landscape, serving as a formal, vertical focal point that draws the eye upward.
Designers often use these slender trees to frame architectural elements, such as entryways, gates, or corners of a house, emphasizing the vertical lines of a building. Their consistent, rigid shape brings a formal and structured look to garden beds or driveways. When a garden needs a strong vertical element to break up a flat space, these columnar and fastigiate trees provide that structural height without casting a large shadow or consuming significant ground area.