Space is at a premium wherever you live. According to recent US Census data, the average lot size for new homes has been shrinking for years. Since 2009, lot sizes under 7,000 sq. ft. have increased by 11%, while lots in the 7,000-9,000 sq. ft. range have increased by five percent. Over the same period, larger lot sizes have decreased by nearly 20%. All of this adds up to far fewer landscape settings appropriate for planting large shade trees.
The good news is that we’ve been hard at work developing slender trees tailored to fit these tight spaces. Narrow selections of maples, crabapples, oaks and zelkovas are among the many excellent varieties available for your planting pleasure. The ten trees that follow are among the superb slender cultivars we offer. They are a great fit for small spaces and will provide shade and beauty all year round.
Armstrong Gold® Maple
Acer rubrum ‘JFS-KW78’ PP 25301
This compact, columnar red maple is a good choice for smaller scale landscapes where a fast-growing, shade-making privacy screen is desired. More upright and densely branched than Armstrong, it offers improved columnar form, greater foliage density, improved branch structure, brighter fall color and Zone 4 hardiness. Narrow, tightly columnar form brings beauty, utility, and a strongly vertical design element to streetscapes and landscapes where space is at a premium.
Red Sentinel™ Maple
Acer rubrum ‘WW Warren’
Towering straight, tall and narrow, Red Sentinel™ Maple delivers a bright combination of medium green, anthracnose resistant foliage in summer that casts cool shade. Fiery red fall foliage is much brighter than the fall color of other columnar red maples. Its well-spaced branches have open angles aligned symmetrically along a straight trunk. Together with a dominant central leader, they present a commanding, storm-resistant winter silhouette.
Perfectly suited for street tree plantings, parks and tight urban spaces, it’s a great choice for today’s compact residential properties as well as country landscapes and alleés
Apollo® Maple
Acer saccharum ‘Barrett Cole’
A dwarf and columnar tree ideally suited for landscapes where space is limited. Its all-season appeal includes heat-resistant dark green summer foliage that turns yellow orange to red in the fall. In winter, dense branching and unique narrow form is revealed. Slow growing in 30 years to a height and spread of about 25’ x 10’, this unusual tree makes a strong landscape statement.
Prairie Sentinel® Hackberry
Celtis occidentalis ‘JFS-KSU1’
A perfect fit for narrow streets in the toughest climates. Tightly fastigiate, this columnar
tree reaches a height and spread of approximately 45’ x 12’. The parent tree is a narrow spire that towers over a rocky, barren plateau on the rugged high plains of western Kansas. Hardy through USDA Zone 4, it has great adaptability to heat, drought and cold of the prairie climate.
Raspberry Spear® Crabapple
Malus ‘JFS KW213MX’ PP 31008
Swoon-worthy magenta-pink flowers and purple foliage are multiplied exponentially when viewed on our low-branch form of this remarkable new ornamental crabapple. Blooms and leaves stretch from near ground-level to the tip-top of its narrowly upright branches. Ideal for use in space-challenged, compact landscapes including rooftop gardens, courtyards, container plantings, streetscapes and hedgerows. Its dense foliage makes it a good option for visual screens.
Regardless of form (low-branch or tree), their bright flowers attract pollinators, and the dark red, persistent fruit extends the seasonal show into the winter months. USDA Zone 4 hardiness.
Persian Spire™ Parrotia
Parrotia persica ‘JL Columnar’
This uniquely narrow cultivar is a perfect fit for courtyards, containers, rooftop gardens, beneath utility lines, and other confined planting spaces. Mature height and spread of this diminutive selection are 25’ x 10’. Refined foliage emerges purple and matures to green with purple-tinted margins that linger into the summer months. Fall color is a bright medley of orange, reds and yellows, with burgundy highlights.
First Blush® Cherry
Prunus ‘JFS-KW14’
Bright, double pink flowers smother the slender branches of this very narrow, upright cherry in early spring. Its fully double flowers attract human admirers along with hummingbirds and other pollinators. Bloom time is earlier than most cherries, but a little later than P. campanulata, to which it is related.
The breathtaking floral display gives way to petite, dark green, finely textured, disease resistant leaves that turn bright orange to orange red in autumn. Fall color is late and long-lasting. Its upright, narrow oval shape is well-suited for planting in small gardens and courtyards and is narrow enough for street use. Mature height and spread are approximately 25’ x 12’.
Crimson Spire™ Oak
Quercus x bimundorum ‘Crimschmidt’
Crimson Spire™ Oak is a landscape exclamation point. This fast-growing, columnar tree combines the best characteristics of its English and White Oak parents to deliver a handsome, adaptable, drought tolerant, disease-resistant shade tree.
Dark-green, mildew-resistant foliage and reddish fall color, plus narrow form and perfect uniformity make it an ideal street tree. It may be planted near power lines, streets and buildings without danger of its branches encroaching on rights-of-way. Reaching a height and spread of about 45’ x 15’, it grows into a remarkably handsome formal tree or may be planted in rows to form a dense, sound-absorbing hedge for visual screening or windbreak.
Streetspire® Oak
Quercus x bimundorum ‘JFS-KW1QX’
This hybrid of our North American native White Oak and English Oak stands tall and slender in the narrowest of streetscapes. Dark green, mildew resistant leaves weather the heat of summer with style before turning rusty orange red in autumn. Leaves fall cleanly in autumn to reveal stiffly upright branches and a narrowly columnar winter form. Wide crotch angles and short upsweeping branches create a storm-resistant structure. Zone 4 hardiness and a mature height and spread of 45’ x 14’ wide assure a slender, cold hardy and winter-tough tree for urban landscapes.
Musashino Columnar Zelkova
Zelkova serrata ‘Musashino’
A proven urban tree in Japan prior to its introduction to the US in 2000, this narrow selection is tailored for tight places and narrow street tree plantings. Upright branches and tightly columnar form accommodate passing vehicles and pedestrians. Small, fine-textured leaves are medium green and turn an attractive yellowish red to rusty red in autumn. Mature height and spread are about 45’ x 15’.
Gardeners! Please note that our nursery is strictly wholesale. To purchase these and other trees grown by our nursery, please use our Retailer Locator to find sources of JFS trees near you.
