Planting Parkland Pillar Birch Trees and Green Wall Spire Crabapples in My Maze

October 14, 2025

Planting Parkland Pillar Birch Trees and Green Wall Spire Crabapples in My Maze

If you’re looking for interesting, easy-to-care-for trees, but don't have a lot of space, consider one of the many unique and attractive tree types with narrow upright habits.

I'm in the process of planting a living maze in a pasture just outside my Winter House. Much of the three-acre area is now complete and all the plants are growing excellently. Some of the latest plants include Parkland Pillar Birch, Betula platyphylla 'Jetpark,' and Green Wall Spire Crabapple, Malus x astringens 'Jefwall' - both from First Editions Shrubs and Trees.

Here are some photos.

: I’ve been working hard on my living maze since I started planting it in the spring of 2022. I carefully plan and design every puzzling path and row of plants. And then I print a detailed schematic for my gardeners to follow. I am very proud of how it is growing so far. And yes, like a true maze there is only one right way from the entrance to the goal location. These Parkland Pillar Birch trees are next to be planted. They are thoughtfully placed in a row that has already been stripped and measured.

: The Parkland Pillar Birch has dense dark green foliage that turns a beautiful golden yellow in fall. It’s known for its narrow, upright habit and interesting white colored bark.

: My crew works hard while there is still time to plant in the gardens. Here is Chhiring digging one of the holes.

: When the soil is very dry, I instruct my team to fill the hole with water first before planting.

: Each hole is sprinkled with a generous amount of fertilizer. I use Miracle-Gro Organic All Purpose Plant Food.

: Chhiring uses a hard rake to carefully scratch the root ball and stimulate growth. Essentially, small portions of the root ball are cut to loosen the roots and encourage new development.

: Chhiring places the tree in the hole and makes sure it is planted at the right height. The top of the root ball should be level with the top of the hole when in place.

: Then he backfills the hole, tamping down as he goes.

: Here they are now – already beginning to show off their autumn color.

: I also planted these Green Wall Spire Crabapple trees. These will grow to about 20 feet tall and five feet wide.

: Green Wall Spire Crabapples prefer full sun and are drought tolerant.

: The foliage is glossy and green in summer, bronze in fall, and in spring, this tree is covered in white flowers.

: These crabapples typically produce fruit in late summer to early fall. The red berries attract many birds.

: Each hole is dug precisely with enough room for the plant’s root ball. The rule of thumb when planting is to dig the hole two times as wide as the rootball and no deeper than the bottom of the rootball, similar to how it is in its pot.