Tall & Narrow Plantings – Perfect for Urban Areas

Fastigiate plants

Fastigiate is a fancy way of saying tall and thin. Plants with this characteristic add a lot to landscapes.

For one, they fit into narrow spaces. Anyone working in a cramped urban or suburban site will appreciate that.

They also add a very desirable vertical line to designs. It can be a very effective visual 'pop' in the landscape. A line of tall, narrow plants is quite elegant. Kind of like the Rockettes. Any show is better with the Rockettes, and any garden is better with a a vertical plant or three.

Check out this nice slideshow of garden allées. While you may never have a stately mansion and estate of your own, you can probably grow a more modest version of the allée at your own home.

Here are some good options for tall, narrow plantings:

• Sunjoy^® Gold Pillar Berberis
• 'Dee Runk' Buxus
• 'Green Arrow' Chamaecyparis
• Patti O^™ Ilex crenata
• Castle Wall^™ Ilex x meservae
• North Pole^® Thuja
• Fine Line^® Rhamnus
• Purple Pillar^™ Hibiscus syriacus (rose of Sharon)

You can create a similar effect with a hydrangea tree: H. paniculata is best for that. 'Limelight' is a particularly good variety for standards.