It was on a long-ago autumn train trip through the remote forests of Canada’s Agawa Canyon that my husband Don and I noticed just what made that region’s fall color so spectacular.

It wasn’t just the colorful leaves of the deciduous trees, we realized. It was the color of those trees intermingled with the forest’s many evergreens.

We came home from that trip inspired to plant more evergreens together with trees noted for their spectacular autumn color. That was simple enough on our acreage, where there was plenty of room.

Now that we live in the city, finding room for more evergreens in our yard is more challenging. Nevertheless, it’s doable, thanks to all the different kinds of evergreens that have a tall but narrow shape.

Early fall is perfect for planting evergreens, if you can find the container-grown varieties you want. Although a few kinds of narrow conifers are widely available, others will take some hunting and may be available only through conifer specialists.

In your hunt for special evergreens, patience is a virtue: You may have to settle for small plants to get some of the varieties you want, and many kinds of evergreens are slow to grow. Plan to plant as many different species as possible so your whole landscape won’t be at risk from some new insect pest or disease.

Here are a few narrow trees to consider:

• Prairie Statesman Swiss stone pine (Pinus cembra). This variety was selected at North Dakota State University by Dale Herman, so you know that it is super-hardy and drought-tolerant. It has long, emerald-green needles with just a hint of silver blue. Expect Prairie Statesman to grow slowly to about 12 feet tall but only 6 feet wide.

Swiss stone pines likes full sun, well-drained soil and room for good air circulation.

• Fastigiata Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). Blue needles color this narrow tree that could eventually reach a height of about 40 feet but no more than 15 feet wide. Morning sun, afternoon shade and a spot protected from wind are ideal. Douglas fir, a native of the Rocky Mountains, is not a true fir (genus Abies).

• Taylor juniper (Juniperus virginiana). Discovered growing wild in north-central Nebraska near Taylor, this cultivar is easy to grow and adaptable. Despite a mature height of 15 to 20 feet, it grows only 3 or 4 feet wide. It has dense and handsome silvery blue-green foliage. Full sun is recommended.

Other skinny possibilities: North Pole arborvitae, Cupressina Norway spruce and Green Arrow Alaska cedar.

• Write to Jan Riggenbach at 2319 S. 105th Ave., Omaha, NE 68124. Please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Find more online at www.midwestgardening.com.