Green Pillar Pin Oak

Green Pillar Pin Oak (Quercus palustris 'Pringreen') is the oak for gardens that want height without the spread. It reaches about 12m tall but only 3.5m wide, where the ordinary pin oak throws a canopy to 10m across. The autumn colour is the reason most people buy it: deep scarlet and russet before the leaves drop.

Why you'll love it

• Tall and narrow by nature. Roughly 12m by 3.5m, so it gives you a mature tree in a side setback or a suburban front garden.
• Serious autumn colour. The glossy lobed leaves turn scarlet then russet late in the season, holding on well after other trees have finished.
• It gets there quickly. A fast growing selection, so the screen or avenue you are planting does real work within a few years.
• Hardy in cold and wind. Frost hardy, wind tolerant and drought tolerant once established, which suits open sites and cold inland districts.

Where it works best

Driveways and avenues. Plant 3m apart for a formal avenue. The columnar habit means the canopies meet overhead without branches reaching across the driveway.

Screening and privacy. The same 3m spacing gives a tall screen that blocks a two storey outlook. Remember it is deciduous, so winter screening is a filter rather than a wall.

Feature planting in small gardens. A single tree suits a courtyard or narrow front garden where a spreading oak would never fit.

Growing Green Pillar Pin Oak in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, always. This is a cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean tree, and it needs a genuine winter chill to colour well. In tropical and subtropical gardens it holds its leaves longer and the display is muted, so it is not the pick for the far north.

Soil. Deep, well drained, slightly acidic soil suits it best. Pin oaks yellow between the leaf veins on alkaline ground, so work compost through the bed and use a chelated iron drench if the foliage pales.

Water and feed. Deep soak weekly through the first two summers while the root system goes down, then taper off. Feed a complete slow release fertiliser in early spring and keep 75mm of mulch clear of the trunk.

Pruning. Very little, since the narrow shape is genetic. Remove a wayward branch in late winter while the tree is bare, and lift the lower limbs only for clearance beneath.

What to expect when it arrives

This oak is grown in two sizes, a 400mm pot and a 45L. Both are established young trees with a clear leader rather than tubestock, so you start with real height. The 45L is the pick for an avenue you want reading straight away.

If it arrives in winter it will be bare, which is normal for a deciduous tree and not a fault. Trees are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Compare the wider tall and narrow screening range.
• Browse other deciduous trees for autumn colour.
• Read our guide to choosing trees for a driveway.

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a screen?

Three metres apart. That spacing lets each tree hold its column and still knit into a continuous line, and it works equally well for a driveway avenue.

Will the roots lift my driveway or paving?

Pin oaks are shallower rooted than many large trees, so allow about 3m of clearance from slabs, paths and pipes. On a tight block, keep it to open lawn or a garden bed.

Will it colour up in a warm climate?

Only partly. Reliable scarlet needs cold autumn nights, so cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens get the best display. Warm temperate gardens still colour, just later and softer.

How fast does it grow?

Fast for an oak, though slower than a poplar. With water and feed expect steady height from the second year, and well over a decade to reach 12m.