I just looked at the purple spire yesterday at CT $39.99 but wasn't sure if they had the zone right. Did some research on your question

Here is a link that might be useful: Columnar Crabapple Comparison

Thanks! I will go to CT to take a look there then.

If I don't go with crabapple, what other columnar choices are there? I looked outside this morning and found that probably 4 out of my 5 neighbours' backyards have Swedish Aspen.... the one that did not have it basically has not even started on landscaping in the back yard yet LOL. So I guess I am not going to add more Swedish Aspens for my neighbourhood....

Purple Spire is VERY columnar and VERY narrow - only a foot across when mature.

Dreamweaver is upright tree form.

As you saw, SCA is very common in Calgary, you can try tower poplar for a slight change in pace, or columnar spruce, or columnar pine (these two don't grow as quickly and are expensive and heavy for larger sizes).

Sutherland Caragana is good too, not seen too often and easy to take care of.

There's columnar birch, but they're quite high maintenance. Also pyramidal mountain ash, but they grow extremely slowly (like 3 inches a year here).

Purple Spire is a stick with leaves. At least that's what I think when I see it. The leaves go all the way down to the base of the trunk.

Dreamweaver can still grow fairly wide, and has a tree-form (i.e. clearly defined trunk, leaves on branches in some sort of defined shape). 'Gladiator' is another good one that is narrower, commonly available but still looks like a tree. I'm not sure either of these would suit the area you're describing though.

Another good choice is Emerald spire, it grows like a Purple Spire but actually has branches that grow very upright (think SCA but purple) so it looks more filled out and natural.

The problem with birches is they require a ton of water and in Calgary are guaranteed to be attacked by the birch leafminer, which means you need to either spray or ensure that you wrap the trunk with something that stops the larvae from crawling up the tree.

Here's a link to Google Streetview that shows Sutherland Caragana that are along Crowchild Trail between Kensington and 5Ave NW. Keep clicking north and you will see more.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mature Sutherland Caragana

this website shows the dreamweaver and the purple spire as the same shape but with dreamweaver having more flowers and more fruit

http://www.cheyennetree.ca/listings/view/flowering-crab-malus/Dreamweaver-Columnar-Flowering-Crabapple/

http://www.cheyennetree.ca/listings/view/flowering-crab-malus/Purple-Spire-Flowering-Crabapple/

Thanks so much, shazam and CLBlakey!

Shazam, I had no idea that there were Sutherland Caragana along Crowchild! That was very helpful indeed.

I think that I am going to ask my landscaper to see if he could get some Emerald Spires or Dreamweavers for me. These two appear to be the most appealing.

Thanks again!

That's not a Dreamweaver. It's a Purple Spire.

What's not a dreamweaver?

That pic you posted. That's a Purple Spire. It's from Jeffrie Nurserie's Purple Spire brochure, but reversed.

http://www.jeffriesnurseries.com/purplespire.pdf

Anyhoo, here's an article about Dreamweaver:

http://calgarygardencoach.typepad.com/calgarygardencoach/2009/05/malus-dreamweaver-columnar-crabapple.html

Actually it seems that I got them backwards with Purple Spire growing a bit wider.

I saw the pics from Jeffries nurseries not the same ones I posted. For some reason the links I posted did not send you directly to the specific tree pages but on the page it does send you to it has links to both trees.

The Jeffries brochure seems to have Emerald and Purple reversed on some of the pictures. At least on one the one labeled Emerald is darker purple than the one labeled Emerald.

Purple Spire is a light bloomer. Both produce small fruit that stays on the tree until eaten by birds.

***

Swedish Aspen is at risk of Bronze Leaf Disease. I have seen BLD infected trees at box stores. I have bought infected trees from major growers.

The only way to be sure you get uninfected stock is to buy them after mid August. By then the affected leaves will show.

If lots of your neighbors have SA, don't plant it.

Alternatives

Prairie Skyrise Trembling Aspen (Mutant of our native aspen)

Sundancer Hybrid poplar. (Usual faults of poplars)

Parkland Pillar asian birch

Dakota Birch

Standing Ovation Saskatoon

Skybound Cedar

Flame Willow

Pussy Willow

Common osier willow

More information about the risks and tradeoffs of Swedish aspen attached.

Alternatives:

Here is a link that might be useful: Swedish Aspen & BLD

My Dreamweavers seem to bloom every second year - lots of blooms and fairly large apples as well(you have to pick them up).

What do your dreamweavers look like now and how do the apples taste?

One major tree that is being forgotten is the columnar Norway maple which has done very well in Edmonton. The city even planted about 20 on one stretch of boulevard and many are getting close to 20ft now and probably 3 feet across. I have seen one in Sherwood park that is probably 30ft high.

https://rdhlandscape.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/maple-columnar-norway.jpg

I've heard that Norway is borderline hardy here. It will do fine for 5-10 years, then in an early cold snap will have lots of damage. I think the cultivar mentioned was Crimson King. Norway maples also have a rep for being invasive, but if you can keep up with Manitoba maple, then Norway is a prettier tree and no worse. In browsing, several cultivars are listed as zone 4, so do your homework.

Crimson King is a bad example. It dies back when we get early hard frosts. I don't see that happen to columnar norway maples. I'll show you pictures of them. They do fine. Variegated Norway maple seems to do well, I planted an Emerald Queen in a front yard with no problems to this day. If you want the purple leaf maple, then Prairie Splendor is zone 3a hardy from Lethbridge. Deborah Norway maple does well too. I have pictures of 40ft tall ones in zone 3a.

Cool! Thanks for correcting my bad overview. I'm always on the look out for good trees for our region that are either columnar, or any colour but green, or have any fall colour but yellow and dishwater, or have some winter feature interest.

I haven't been able to upload any photos on this site in the last week on any of my browsers for some reason. I hope this link works to the picture in google maps. If you drive down silverberry rd in edm, you will find 20 of these trees and they are starting to get really big.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@53.4599788,-113.3859925,3a,75y,313.1h,91.51t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s1KVeNMtnXhJztC_fcD0dbw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Try rosethern baccata

Which tree did you go with?
I’m looking for a columnar tree for a focal point in my garden. I was recommended the Dreamweaver but I felt it was too small.
I’m thing something that gets taller and a bit wider with a lot of beautiful features.

Emerald Spire: Nominal 20' x 7 feet; Purple spire Nominal 16' x 5-6' Midnight Spire. I expect to be similar to purple. These 3 are from Jeffries and are closely related. Pink Spire is much wider. The first 3 are very vase shaped with the widest point at the top. all have apples about the size of a quarter. Most of the apples fall withing 2 feet of the trunk.

Royal Mist and Gladiator are both upright ovals getting about 10 feet wide by 20 feet tall. Royal Mist has deeper pink flowers, and matt finish leaves, while gladiator has glossy leaves. Gladiator has an overall impression of being more red. Both are marble sized apples.

Green wall is an extremely columnar tree about 16' x 3 feet. In spring you can hardly see the leaves for all the blossoms. Marble sized apples. I have all but midnight and pink for sale at my farm if you are near Edmonton, AB