Landscapers look for 'skinny' plants

There are several plants to market for small spaces, said Susan Mertz, sales rep at Kokopelli Nursery in Lenexa, Kan.

Some of her picks: Rhamnus frangula ‘Ron Williams’; Taxus x media ‘Stovepipe’; Buxus sempervirens ‘Monrue’; and Ilex crenata ‘Sky Pencil.’

There are also several deciduous trees to select from for narrow sites, she said. Acer platanoides ‘Crimson Sentry’ is the columnar form of ‘Crimson King’ with the same purple foliage. The dark-green foliage of Quercus alba x robur ‘Crimschmidt’ turns red in fall.

“My favorite columnar oak is Regal Prince (Q. robur x bicolor ‘Long’). I love the glossy, green foliage,” she said.

Prunus serrulata ‘Amanogawa’ has fragrant, spring flowers and yellow-orange fall foliage. Taxodium distichum ‘Mickelson,’ a deciduous conifer, is a good choice for wet locations, she said.

Columnar spruce also offer good choices for narrow spaces, such as Picea pungens var. glauca ‘Blue Totem,’ P. abies ‘Cupressina,’ P. mariana ‘Wellspire’ and P. omorika ‘Riverside.’

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For more: Kokopelli Nursery, (913) 397-0020; www.kokopellinursery.com.

July 2008