Fastigiate Trees are your Landscaping Best Friend

The word fastigiate drives from the Latin word ‘fastigiatus’ or ‘fastigium’ meaning 'peaked' or ‘narrowing' towards the top. It follows that in horticultural terms, fastigiate has come to mean having upright, almost parallel branches. This type of tree is tall and slender and therefore highly suitable in gardens where height is required but planting space is limited.

In our range, we look to grow a narrower form in many of the most popular ranges. So options for skinny selections are not just slender Italian Pencil Pines but narrower versions of Canadian Maple, Banksia, Birch, Liquidambar, Pyrus, Ginkgo, Callistemon, even Magnolia. Due to urban need and demand, this palette of trees is increasing. Here are our recommendations.

Feature Trees for Skinny Spaces

A notable example of a fastigiate tree is Ginkgo biloba ‘Lemonlime Spire’(PBR). Growing 1m wide and used for vertical accent, this tree is hard to top. Its lime-green summer foliage and clear, yellow foliage in autumn is stunning, so it is a feature no matter the season in the most compact of spaces.

Betula pendula fastigiata is a Birch tree that typically grows a third narrower than others for that European-looking garden grove in a smaller space. While foliage turns from green to butter yellow in autumn, it is its white trunk that sheds in paper-thin sheets that steals the show.

Ornamental Pear, Pyrus calleryana ‘Capital’ is a landscaping stalwart, and a dependable selection in both residential and commercial environments. Growing at least one third narrower than Pyrus ‘Cleveland Select’ and others, it is known for its height, colour and upright shape.

Left to right: The lime-green foliage of Ginkgo ‘Lemonlime Spire’(PBR), tall and narrow Betula pendula fastigiata and ever-reliable Pyrus calleryana ‘Capital’.

A real feature tree due to its flashy year-round crimson foliage, Acer platanoides ‘Crimson Sentry’ is also a standout selection for size and form. At 4m wide by 7 m tall, it is ideal for screening on narrow sites and in landscapes looking for year-round foliage colour contrast.

We are a real advocate for Banksia integrifolia ‘Sentinel’ (PBR) as a narrow native selection. With a width of 1m, it is perfect as a narrow dense-growing native flowering screen. Preferring full sun to light shade it produces upright lemon brush-like flowers.

Of course, never out of fashion is Cupressus sempervirens ‘Glauca’ or the Italian Pencil Pine. A low-maintenance selection, it requires little to no pruning to maintain its shape. A statement conifer, it is typically used to frame a doorway or path, or to line a driveway or fence lines.

Left to right: Beautiful year-round colour of Acer ‘Crimson Sentry’, Banksia integrifolia ‘Sentinel’, Cupressus sempervirens ‘Glauca’

Want to hedge in a narrow garden bed? Photinia x fraseri NP01 ‘Thin Red’™ is a very narrow-growing, small hedging tree perfect for this scenario. Under a metre wide it produces beautiful new reddish foliage typical of this Photinia genus.

As the name suggests Callistemon viminalis ‘Slim’™ is a new narrower-growing Bottlebrush to rival Callistemon ‘Kings Park Special’ with floriferous flowering from spring to autumn. Attracting birds and butterflies, it is a new hero in the native hedging space.

With a width of 1-1.5m Syzygium ‘Straight and Narrow’ ™ is as ideal selection for along tight driveways and fencelines particularly if you require a little height. This variety could easily be the Australian native alternative to the Italian Pencil Pine and is a better form than the narrow growing Syzygium 'Pinnacle' due to its dense foliage and naturally columnar form.

For hedging and screening in Skinny Spots (Image 3) Caption: The striking new growth of Photina ‘Thin Red’ ™, Callistemon viminalis ‘Slim’™ and Syzygium Straight and Narrow’™

If you’d like to talk narrow selections for your landscaping space, please contact the Speciality Trees team here.