25 Trees for Every Landscape Need

Best Deciduous Landscape Trees for a Privacy Border

That row of Lombardy poplars my dad planted was a great idea until it wasn’t. He would have chosen a different species if he knew about the canker disease that would eventually kill them. One alternative I like is columnar English oak (Quercus robur ‘Fastigiata’). I planted one at my last house because I love oaks but didn’t have room for a traditional spreading oak. The columnar habit features upright branching, which minimizes horizontal growing space. And the faded brown foliage remains on the tree over winter to contrast nicely with snow.

Andy Schmidt, horticulture director at the Brenton Arboretum in central Iowa, also likes the tree. “It grows fast in good soils,” Schmidt says. “I planted one in my front yard back in 2007 and it was less than 8 ft. tall. Last year, it was 55 ft. tall.” Meanwhile, spread at maturity is just 10 to 15 ft. English oak is hardy in USDA Zones 5-8.