Slim trees for tight spaces
Space is often a premium in urban gardens and large or spreading trees are sometimes inappropriate. But there’s an amazing range of trees that have a tall, slim habit that are ideal for smaller spaces, meaning you don’t have to sacrifice all the wonderful benefits trees bring from evergreen structure, height and shade to spring blossom and autumn colour.
Unlike standard trees with large canopies, these columnar or fastigiate trees are ideal when space is tight, making striking vertical accents and providing a contrast to rounded plants. Traditionally, varieties such as upright Irish yew have been used in formal planting, placed either side of a doorway or along a path or avenue. But you can also dot these slim trees through large planting beds, to give a sense of rhythm and structure. Designer Tom Stuart-Smith used Irish yews (Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata Robusta’ ) in the Italianate gardens at Trentham, Staffordshire, in a contemporary informal way, where these dark green vertical structures seem to march through the soft planting like giant figures in a landscape.
In smaller gardens, you could create a similar effect by using trees such as classically elegant Italian cypress (Cupressus sempervirens var. pyramidalis) repeated through Mediterranean planting to summon up holidays abroad. Deciduous varieties of fastigiate trees such as beech can be used in a similar way and also add wonderful foliage colour. Carpinus betulus ‘Frans Fontaine’, is a particularly neat upright hornbeam with bright green leaves in spring turning yellow and orange in Autumn. And for drama you could try columns of the purple beech Fagus sylvatica ‘Dawyck’.
As well as grouping and repeating these trees, you can also use a single feature tree tucked into a corner or to thin beds. And there are more options than you’d image. In fact, some of the best garden trees also have fastigiate cultivars. For striking autumn colour try the lovely upright Persian ironwood tree (Parrotia persica, Persian Spire) or Liquidambar styraciflua ‘Slender silouette’. For blossom Crataegus monogyna ‘Stricta’ is a lovely crab apple and there’s a beautiful slim cherry called Prunus serrulata ‘Amanogawa.’
Whether used as a feature plant, grouped or repeated, these wonderfully architectural vertical accents add a whole new dimension to an urban garden.