Creating Vertical Drama in Your Garden

by Pat Diaz, from the February 2004 Newsletter

Inspirational vertical bloomers really give your garden a dramatic look and are often the missing element. Planting them at the rear of a border of flowers really creates a wonderful backdrop for shorter plants. Or you can cluster them in the middle of your island beds where they will anchor the lower-growing plants and help create a sweeping motion.

There are both perennial and biennial choices for vertical bloomers. Biennials produce foliage the first year and the spikes of flowers the second year. The flower choices discussed below like well-drained amended soil (amend with compost) and feeding in late winter or early spring. You should deadhead the stalks as soon as the flowers fade so that they will send up a new flower stalk later in the season.

Here are some old-fashioned choices for vertical bloomers:

• Foxglove (Digitalis) – this short-lived perennial comes in gorgeous colors including blue, lavender, mauve, pink, purple, red, or white. They grow to 8’ tall. They like full sun and regular water.
• Hollyhock (Alcea) – these plants grow from 5-9’ tall, have heart-shaped leaves, and single, semidouble, or double flowers that appear in early to midsummer. They come in all sorts of beautiful colors including maroon, pink, rose, white, yellow, and an almost-black burgundy. They, too, like full sun and regular water.
• Verbascum – These plants have large leaves as well as spiky flowers. They like moderate water and full sun. The flower colors range from yellow, pink, red, violet, to white.
• Delphinium – These are really elegant spires that come in blue, lavender, mauve, pink, purple, red, or white and stand up to 8’ tall. They love full sun and regular water.

Copyright: Copyright on articles, recipes and images are jointly held by the Moscow Food Co-op and the respective contributors, except were otherwise noted.

Return to Resource Archive

For additions or corrections to this page, please contact the Webmaster.