Columnar Evergreens. Fastigiate or Columnar Conifer Trees

An important characteristic to note when choosing trees and plants is their natural growing habit. Fastigiate or columnar evergreens have a naturally tall and narrow habit of growing with erect branches that have the appearance of forming an erect column.

A pair of fastigiate or columnar evergreens punctuate a water feature in an Italianate garden

Columnar evergreen trees can be used to great effect to punctuate your garden or outside space. They also serve as an ideal immediate and elegant evergreen screen or hedge when planted close together. They are very practical in smaller gardens as they are very space efficient being tall yet narrow.

If you happen to lose a plant and are left with a vacant slot, consider planting a columnar evergreen tree to fill empty corners or spaces in the garden. Providing vertical interest by using taller plants or trees tends to particularly attract the eye. You can take advantage of this to emphasise attractive aspects of your garden. There are many types of columnar evergreens with varying textures and shapes. Here are a few of our favourites:

Irish Yew (Taxus Baccata Fastigiata) which has dark green foliage and / or the Golden Irish Yew with its beautiful yellow golden foliage are good examples of columnar evergreens. As you can see from the golden Irish Yew pictured below from a County Cork garden, Taxus Baccata Fastigiata Aurea has a beautiful tall and tubular growth habit, not unlike pencil cypress trees, more typically featured in Italianate gardens. The beautiful pillar or tower-like shape and the glorious yellow tinge to the foliage are clearly visible, truly embellishing the autumnal scene.

Many of you have Italianate or Mediterranean themed gardens. Complete the look with the beautiful Italian Pencil Cypress (Cupressus Sempervirens). A pair of Italian pencil pines also look stylish when framing a doorway or any entrance or path. These can also be used to line driveways, particularly smaller ones as they don’t take up so much depth space.

Tip: If you are based in an exposed and windy area, as alternative to Italian Pencil Pine, you could also consider our Thuja Smaragd Pencil Cypress trees, which have a neat, conical growth habit but are somewhat hardier than the pencil cypress.

Other fastigiate trees to consider are False Cypress or Lawson’s Cypress (Chamaecyparis Lawsoniana Columnaris). This evergreen has striking blue green foliage that is fragrant and has an elegant columnar shape. It is very suitable for use as hedging or screening.

Juniper Sky Rocket (Juniperus Scopulorum Skyrocket) is a columnar evergreen with attractive blue foliage. It is slow-growing and an excellent specimen conifer where punctuation is required.

Calocedrus Decurrens otherwise known as the Incense Cedar Tree, is another evergreen conifer with a columnar habit. This is a somewhat larger or wider fastigiate and can get to be quite a large tree so make sure you have enough space for this one. A variegated relative is called Calocedrus Decurrens Aureovariegata. This conifer also has an attractive narrow upright habit, though somewhat wider that most of the conifers featured in this post. It is a beautiful evergreen conifer with dark green sprays of foliage interspersed with flashes of golden yellow. Magnificent when the sun catches the foliage.

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