With its playful yet classic form, the columnar sugar maple ‘Temple’s Upright’ (Acer saccharum) is the narrowest of the columnar varieties. It allows this pollution-tolerant native tree to fit into limited spaces, enjoying an iconic autumn coloration while creating a very graphic landscape. The columnar sugar maple ‘Temple’s Upright’ adapts to all types of well-drained soils, even acidic ones. Its mineral-rich sweet sap can be harvested through tapping, a simple operation steeped in tradition. However, it will take a few decades for it to mature enough to be tapped. Keep in mind that tapping represents a wound for the tree, which underscores the importance of doing it properly. In the meantime, discover its still-tender, edible leaves, which can be pickled and then stuffed, much like grape leaves.