No. 18

Character

Vertical, columnar, commanding

At eleven feet, this is one of the tallest specimens in the collection — a vertical, upright tree grown intentionally to hold height rather than spread. The silhouette is columnar and narrow, the canopy kept close to the trunk rather than reaching outward, every tier of branching shaped to reinforce the upward line. It is a tree that draws the eye straight up. The trunk carries a subtle movement as it climbs — slightly curvy, slightly snakey — just enough character to keep the vertical from feeling rigid. A line with life in it, shifting gently as it rises through each level of pads. That quiet movement is what separates a shaped tree from a planted one. The pads themselves are uniform and balanced, distributed evenly as you work your way from the base to the crown. Each tier sits at its own height, held in proportion to the ones above and below, the whole composition reading as a steady rhythm of green against the exposed trunk between them. The restraint is the design. With a seven-inch caliper and only six feet of spread across eleven feet of height, the proportions are deliberately vertical — a centerpiece tree that commands a space without consuming it.