Is there a Tree Expert in the House?

I would settle with someone familiar with Utah trees, even.


This is a picture of my favorite type of Utah tree outside of the Springville Museum of Art. "Why is it Katie's favorite tree?" you may be asking yourself in disbelief.

Well, let me tell you.

I first saw this tree within Temple Square in Salt Lake City at Kyle and Bridget's wedding. This tree must have been a part of temple square for some time because the trunk was ginormous, but dwarfed. Then flowing over this midget trunk were these fatty leaves. It seemed to be right out of a fairy tale, which was the perfect setting for wedding pictures. I sat and watched the happy couple and looked at these trees and imagined David the Gnome climbing from the leafy top, or a little window opening up in the middle to reveal the Keebler Elves and their delicious cookies. There's just something about this tree that makes me happy.

But only in the spring/summer... because in the winter this tree is just a trunk. It really doesn't have any branches, which is surprising because somehow this bushy bunch of leaves appears out of nowhere. It is a little bit of an eye sore on the winter lawns, like someone forgot to remove the rest of the bark when they cut off the top.

Can someone please tell me the name of this tree? I need to know for my future garden. I'm thinking.... Maze of evergreen bushes, leading to the center where this elvish tree SLASH eyesore stump (depending on the season) is the mystical center piece. No lawn gnomes allowed, only real ones.