Read everything you need to know about the columnar oak in the commented profile here. Notes on growth, leaf, flower, fruit and roots. Lots of planting and care tips for hobby gardeners.
What characterizes a columnar oak?
The columnar oak (Quercus robur 'Fastigiata') is a slender variant of the English oak with columnar growth, dark green lobed leaves and acorns as fruits. It reaches heights of 15 to 20 meters and is particularly suitable as a standalone tree, avenue tree or house tree.
Profile
- Scientific name: Quercus robur ‘Fastigiata’
- Genus: Oaks (Quercus)
- Synonym: pyramid oak
- Growth type: deciduous tree
- Growth habit: columnar
- Growth height: 15 m to 20 m
- Leaf: dark green, lobed
- Flower: Kitten
- Fruits: Acorns
- Roots: deep roots
- Winter hardiness: hardy
- Use: Individual position, avenue tree, house tree
Growth
The two German names columnar oak and pyramid oak refer to a slim, elegant variant of the local English oak. The following key growth data illustrate the high appreciation of Quercus robur 'Fastigiata' as a representative tree:
- Growth: straight trunk with tightly upright side branches in a dense arrangement.
- Shape: narrow conical to columnar with a low, slender crown.
- Growth height: 1500 cm to 2000 cm
- Growth width: 250 cm to 400 cm
- Annual growth: 20 cm to 30 cm in height, 10 cm to 15 cm in width.
When young, the columnar oak remains slim and narrow. With age, the tree grows up to 4 meters wide. The stately column shape is still retained.
Excursus
Botanical rarity from Babenhausen
The Methuselah under the columnar oaks resides in Babenhausen, Hesse, with a biblical age of 570 years. Scientists consider the legendary English oak to be the ancestor of all pyramid oaks. As early as the 18th century, the seeds were in great demand as a valuable, botanical rarity. To this day, acorn sowings provide us with an astonishingly high proportion of columnar-growing deciduous trees.
Leaf
The columnar oak wraps its slender shape in a decorative foliage. The following overview summarizes the characteristic leaf properties:
- Leaf shape: short stalked, irregularly lobed to deeply notched
- Color: shiny deep green on top, light blue-green on the bottom
- Size: 10cm to 15cm long
- Texture: leathery
- Arrangement: alternate
- Autumn color: yellowish
Bloom
Columnar oaks are monoecious, with separate sexes. In spring, male and female flowers form in a house, i.e. on a tree. The first flowering period can be expected from the age of 30 to 60 years. It doesn't take a scientifically trained eye to distinguish the flowers based on these characteristics:
- Male flowers: hanging in clusters, yellowish-green catkins, 2 cm to 4 cm long.
- Female flowers: long-stemmed, sessile, thin, greenish with red dots at the top.
- Flowering time: May
The male flowers of a pyramid oak can be easily seen from a distance. The inflorescences hang picturesquely on the branches like little strings of pearls. To admire female flowers, however, you should be armed with a magnifying glass. The tiny, reddish dots of the inflorescences are made up of ovary, style and stigma, embedded in a fruit cup.
Fruits
Withered male flowers of a columnar oak fall to the ground. The inconspicuous female flowers, on the other hand, turn into thick, brown acorns in the first or second year after pollination. Ripe fruits fall from the fruit cup to the ground, eagerly awaited by hungry deer, wild boar, squirrels and other forest dwellers.
Roots
As a deep-rooted oak, the columnar oak drives a dominant taproot meters deep into the ground. Starting from this primary root, a few secondary root strands branch off horizontally. This root system makes the pyramid oak extremely storm-proof. The tree can even easily penetrate compacted clay soil to reach deep groundwater.
Planting columnar oak
The best time to plant columnar oaks is in autumn. Due to high demand, the market quickly became empty. From mid-August you can pre-order the botanical rarity at your local tree nursery.
Buy columnar oak
The nursery has columnar oaks for every budget. The wide range extends from the majestic standard tree to the multiple transplanted solitaire with wire bales. Savvy hunters with a lot of patience buy young Quercus robur 'Fastigiata' as shrubs for training into columnar trees with their own hands. The following table provides an overview of the considerable price ranges:
| High trunk (2-3 m) | Price | Solitaire (transplanted several times) | Price | Shrub | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trunk circumference: 7-8 cm | from 600 EUR | 100-125 cm height | from 120 EUR | 30-50 cm high | from 15 EUR |
| Trunk circumference: 10-12 cm | from 880 EUR | 150-175 cm height | from 385 EUR | 60-80 cm high | from 39 EUR |
| Trunk circumference: 12-14 cm | from 990 EUR | 200-250 cm height | from 715 EUR | 80-100 cm high | from 48 EUR |
| Trunk circumference: 14-16 cm | from 1,300 EUR | 300-350 cm height | from 1,100 EUR | 125-150 cm high | from 85 EUR |
Prospective buyers have to dig deep into their pockets for a standard tree with a height of 4 meters or more. Magnificent specimens with a trunk diameter of 40 to 50 centimeters cost around 6,000 euros plus shipping.
Location
Columnar oaks are light-hungry and tolerant of soil conditions. These location conditions are ideal:
- Sunny to semi-shady location
- Nutritious, deep garden soil
- Ideally fresh to moist
A pyramid oak can easily cope with sandy, dry, calcareous soil or occasional, short-term flooding. The only exclusion criteria are an acidic pH value of less than 5 and permanent waterlogging.
Planting Tips
Correctly planted columnar oaks overcome the delicate growth phase without any injuries. Don't miss these planting tips:
- The planting pit is twice as big as the root ball.
- For initial fertilization, the excavated soil is enriched with compost and horn shavings.
- One to three support poles prevent windthrow.
- The planting distance from the property line is at least 2 meters (please note local regulations).
- The planting distance from the house wall is 3 to 4 meters to protect the sewage pipes from the deep taproot.
- A layer of mulch or shade-tolerant underplanting on the tree disc protects against drying out.
The most common cause of failure of newly planted trees is drought stress. In the first few days and weeks, regular, abundant watering is the gardener's most important duty. A watering ring made of soil is helpful so that irrigation water seeps onto the root disk.
Maintaining columnar oaks
Pillar oaks are very easy to care for. Once the columnar trees have become deeply rooted in the ground, the water and nutrient supply is reduced to a minimum. Pruning is only necessary if necessary. An exciting project for the family garden is propagation through cuttings or sowing. The best care tips in a nutshell to read:
Pouring
Drought is a threat to a young columnar oak in the first three to five years of growth. You can determine the current watering requirement with a simple finger test. If there is no moisture in the top one to two centimeters of soil, water the tree with normal tap water. Proper watering supports the formation of the deep root system. It is better to water thoroughly once a week (hose running for 20-30 minutes) instead of watering with half a watering can every day.
Fertilize
Fertilizing a columnar oak is easy. The best time is in spring. Sprinkle 3 to 4 liters of mature compost soil and 100 grams of horn shavings on the root disc. Rake in the organic fertilizer and water again for optimal absorption of the nutrients. In August and September, spray the tree disc a few times with potassium-rich comfrey manure. With this measure you can naturally strengthen the winter hardiness of young trees.
Cutting
A topiary is not necessary. Nevertheless, the columnar oak benefits from occasional pruning. The timing is just as important as the incision. How to properly prune a pyramid oak tree:
- Pruning: every 2 to 4 years in February, cut off dead wood and unfavorably positioned branches on Astring.
- Care cutting: At the end of June, cut back branches that are too long and out of shape.
- Important: Before pruning, check the crown for nesting birds and trim later if necessary.
- Pruning guide: Place the pruning shears at a short distance from a bud, a leaf or a sleeping eye.
Like many native trees, a columnar oak has a hard time producing fresh shoots from old wood. For a radical rejuvenation cut, we recommend contacting an experienced nurseryman.
Propagate
Vegetative propagation through cuttings produces offspring with the characteristic growth habit of a columnar oak. Generative propagation by sowing produces different seedlings. After all, there is a high proportion of columnar young trees when the mother plant is the 'Beautiful Oak of Harreshausen' from near Babenhausen or another columnar oak. In the nursery, columnar oaks are propagated through grafting to save time.
Popular varieties
Numerous variants have emerged from Quercus robur 'Fastigiata', such as these popular premium varieties:
- Fastigiata Steinmoor: narrow-crowned, columnar tree with rich green, less deeply lobed leaves.
- Columnar oak Fennessii: rare, very weak-growing columnar oak, 15-20 m high, 2, 50-4, 00 m wide.
- Regal Prince: robust, extra hardy cross between Quercus robur fastigiata and Quercus bicolor, 10-15 m tall.
- Quercus robur Fastigiata Koster: refined, slender columnar oak, whose crown grows conical as it ages.
FAQ
Why can't you buy columnar oaks as bare-root goods?
Columnar oaks, English oaks and other oaks grow poorly if they are planted bare-rooted. For this reason you can usually only buy the trees in pots or with bales.
The branches of our columnar oaks hang limply. What to do?
When young columnar oaks grow strongly, the shoot tissue is sometimes too soft for tightly upright growth. The simplest solution is to loosely tie the shoots together in an upright position. In this way you force a vertical growth habit until the branches are strong and hardened. Alternatively, moderate pruning solves the problem. Shorten the side branches directly above an inward-facing bud.
Can you still plant columnar oaks in November? Is winter protection necessary?
The columnar oak Quercus robur fastigiata is very frost hardy. Planting is also possible in November without any problems as long as the ground is not deeply frozen. Thanks to the reliable winter hardiness, no special protective measures are required.
