Don’t let limited space restrict your dream of having a beautiful garden. Embrace the concept of vertical gardening, where plants like these vertically-oriented perennials, annuals, shrubs, and trees make the most of the area by growing upwards, not outwards.
Allium ‘Globemaster’ is a showstopper with its large, exuberant flowerheads. The deep lavender, globe-shaped blooms, supported by tall, slender stems, make a striking display. Even when the color fades, the flower clusters maintain their interest. For the fullest flowers, plant allium in full sun.
Name: Allium ‘Globemaster’
Height: 18-30 inches
Foxglove is a biennial that stands tall with spikes of long, tubular flowers, mainly in white, with hints of pink and purple. It thrives in either full sun or partial shade. For the tallest variety, go for the ‘Camelot’ series if you’re looking to maximize height.
Name: Digitalis purpurea
Height: 1-5 feet
Maximilian sunflower, a native perennial, is perfect for making the most of your garden space. It boasts an abundance of golden yellow flowers with dark centers. In the later season, its seeds attract birds. Like all sunflowers, it requires full sun, and in exposed areas, some staking may be necessary.
Name: Helianthus maximiliani
Height: 3-10 feet, Spread: 2-4 feet
The bearded iris, a highly favored variety, is loved for its large, showy flowers in a spectrum of colors and bicolors. The sword-like leaves remain attractive even after the blooms fade. Bearded irises vary in size, so opt for taller ones for vertical gardening. They require at least six hours of sunlight daily.
Name: Iris x germanica
Height: 12-40 inches, Spread: 12-30 inches
Featuring 6-feet-tall feathery stalks emerging from a 2-foot base of foliage, Foerster’s feather reed grass starts the spring with reddish brown stems, maturing to rich golds and buffs in the fall. It prefers full sun in northern climates and benefits from some afternoon shade in warmer regions.
Name: Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’
Height: 3-5 feet, Spread: 1-2 feet
Spider flower, a tall annual, features large white, pink, purple, or bicolor flowers with unique, spider-like stamens. This self-seeding plant grows rapidly and should be planted in full sun for a dense growth and the best display of flowers.
Name: Cleome hassleriana
Height: 1-5 feet, Spread: 1-4 feet
Hollyhock, which can act as either a biennial or perennial, produces stunning flowers on stiff, towering stems. The large, trumpet-shaped blooms come in white, pink, red, yellow, and even black, along with bicolors. Plant them in full sun and near a wind barrier, like a fence or building, to prevent them from bending.
Name: Alcea rosea
Height: 3-8 feet, Spread: 1-3 feet
Mexican sunflower, a quick-growing annual, features vibrant orange-red daisy-like flowers on tall, thickly branched stems. A tough, drought-tolerant species, it may need staking after heavy rain to prevent sprawling. Plant it in full sun for abundant blooms.
Name: Tithonia rotundifolia
Height: 3-8 feet, Spread: 2-3 feet
When you need an annual that grows rapidly to great heights, sunflowers are the answer. These cheerful, large flowers vary in height by cultivar but all require full sun to thrive. Easy to grow from seed, sunflowers come in colors ranging from the traditional golden yellow to burgundy and bicolors.
Name: Helianthus annuus
Height: 1-10 feet, Spread: 1-3 feet
Kiss-me-over-the-garden gate, a fast-growing annual, is known for its spikes of purple-pink flowers loved by hummingbirds and pollinators. It self-seeds readily and is considered invasive in parts of the southeastern United States. It grows in full sun to part shade.
Name: Persicaria orientalis
Height: 4-7 feet, Spread: 2-4 feet
Fine Line buckthorn is a resilient shrub suitable for full sun to part shade. It has a fine, feathery texture and an upright, narrow habit, making it ideal for a vertical accent or a privacy screen. In fall, the leaves turn color gradually, creating an appealing mix of green and gold.
Name: Rhamnus frangula ‘Ron Williams’
Height: 5-7 feet, Spread: 2-3 feet
Arborvitae, a popular evergreen, offers a variety of shapes, sizes, and even colors. Upright cultivars like ‘Emerald Green’ are perfect for privacy screens. Newer cultivars like ‘Sting’ are narrower, reaching 15-20 feet tall but only 12-18 inches wide.
Name: Thuja occidentalis
Size: Varies by cultivar
Junipers, tough and drought-resistant evergreens, come in various sizes, including upright forms. Blue-green cultivars like ‘Blue Arrow’ and ‘Skyrocket’ are favorites. Unlike arborvitae, junipers are also deer-resistant.
Name: Juniperus spp.
Size: Varies by cultivar
Sky Pencil Japanese holly adds an elegant touch with its columnar form and dark green evergreen foliage. It may produce purplish berries if a male pollinator is close by. This moderately fast-growing holly requires full sun.
Name: Ilex crenata ‘Sky Pencil’
Height: 6-8 feet, Spread: 2-3 feet
Boxwood, a dense, broad-leaf evergreen, is traditionally used as a foundation plant. Upright forms like ‘Green Tower’ save space with a tight, columnar habit. It’s suitable for full sun or part shade and can be used as a single columnar specimen or in pairs to frame an entrance.
Name: Buxus sempervirens ‘Monrue’
Height: 9 feet, Spread: 1-2 feet
Lindsey’s Skyward bald cypress, a deciduous conifer, has fine, almost feathery green needles that turn rusty orange in fall. The tree has a dwarf, symmetrical columnar growth with dense branching. It grows in full sun or light shade.
Name: Taxodium distichum ‘Skyward’
Height: 23-25 feet, Spread: 6-10 feet
Arnold Sentinel Austrian pine is a drought-tolerant evergreen with a uniform columnar shape and attractive bluish-green needles. It thrives in full sun and well-drained soils, requires minimal maintenance, and has no significant pest or disease issues.
Name: Pinus nigra ‘Arnold Sentinel’
Height: 20-30 feet, Spread: 5-10 feet
Slender Silhouette sweet gum is a tree with a tight, columnar shape suitable for full sun or part shade. This fast grower is best planted in poor soils and challenging locations to slow its growth and maintain its narrow form. The star-shaped leaves turn mixed hues of yellow, orange, red, and burgundy in fall.
Name: Liquidambar styraciflua ‘Slender Silhouette’
Height: 50-60 feet, Spread: 5-6 feet
Columnar Swedish aspen offers the delightful sound of rustling leaves and beautiful butter-yellow fall foliage. It requires full sun but is well adapted to very cold climates.
