Garden centers offer many short , thickset recurrent selection these days for use in landscape painting with modified gardening space . But if you have a spacious landscape , a meadow , or a “ wild ” garden , then taller , bulky perennials may be more suitable choices . Read on as I illustrate this point by lease you for a fast tour of the taller perennials on my dimension .
THE ORIGINAL design
When I design the landscape painting for our home south of Charlottesville 13 years ago , I had four specific goal in mind for our treeless 3.5 - acre pile : instal foundation planting around our newly built house , establish a kind of tree and shrub , make grow a fairly large perennial garden , and instal raised beds for a veg garden .
Those projects replaced some of the locoweed on our lot ( which was antecedently a featureless cow pasture ) , but we still had a pot of grass left to mow . So , I decided to landscape the area conterminous to the 550 - groundwork foresightful board fence that borders our back pace . Using the fence as a backdrop , I envisioned deep , 15 ’ to 20 ’ undulating beds replete with woody and herbaceous plant life . A assortment of trees and bush ( the “ bones ” of the garden ) was install first . Then , I planted gallery of Achillea millefolium , aster , brave momma , andRudbeckiaamong other perennials . Wild violet filled in some of the sunnier areas as a ground covering . brave geranium , Tiarella , and wild gingerroot served as terra firma covers in another , part suspicious area . Eventually , the perennials start to fill the spaces between the tree and shrubs , and all was well – for a time .
THE program GOES AWRY
As the landscape plantings matured , I visualise that too many of my original repeated plant life pick were mound shaped . That made the design look monotonic . Also , some grew too low to the ground ( 1.5 ’ to 2 ’ on average ) , make them hard to see from a aloofness . That ’s when I realized the design needed pluck . It require additional plants that would :
GETTING STARTED WITH marvellous PERENNIALS
More shrubs would not have solved this problem . They would have been too heavy , too dominant . The design needed a “ lighter ” contact , which is why I chose tall perennials of 4 ’ or more to leave a more naturalistic , layered look .
So , my experimentation with tall perennials began with grasses . Starting with groups of‘Karl Foerster ’ feather beating-reed instrument grasses ( Calamagrostis x acutiflora)(4 ’ tall by 2 ’ astray ) , I notice how the feathery seed heads in mid - summer stretched higher than the top fencing railing and added an interesting softening contrast with the solid board on the fence . ‘Apache Rose ’ Switch grasses ( Panicum virgatum)(4 ’ tall by 2.5 ’ wide ) added extra height and pleasing texture from former summer all the way through the winter months . So far , so good .
In increase to these two grasses , I step by step add a form of other tall perennial , such as :
False Aster ( Boltonia asteroides ) – Due to its relaxed habit , this 5 ’ to 6 ’ tall by 4 ’ wide perennial is well suitable for an intimate bungalow or “ wild ” garden setting . I became interested inBoltoniayears ago at a Quaker ’s house where I saw the works lightly cascading over a stone wall in later summertime . It was pass over in a billowing mass of 1 ” white blossoms with yellow nerve centre . Because it does tend to be floppy , it should be cut back by about a third in May or June to stimulate a shaggy-haired , more compendious wont . Otherwise , it may involve to be staked . I grow the straight species , but most sources commend ‘ Snowbank ’ , a short , well - behaved cultivar .
Joe Pye Weed ( Eutrochium fistulosum ) – This 7 ’ improbable native is often seen develop along roadside all over the Orient slide . As a innkeeper plant for a kind of bee , butterfly , and moth metal money , Joe Pye Weed is well regarded as a good nectar plant for visiting pollinator species . The mauve - pinkish flower cluster come out in July , when there ’s not much else going on in the garden . The plant can be cut back by half in early June to see to it its superlative . Alternatively , see to it out one of the “ nanus ” cultivar such as Baby Joe ( 4 ’ tall ) or Gateway ( 4 ’ to 6 ’ grandiloquent ) .
False Blue Indigo ( Baptisia australis ) – Most seed say this plant grows between 3 ’ and 4 ’ tall and 4 ’ astray , but when in flower , it tops out at more than 4 ’ in my garden . I am cognizant that some hybridized varieties such as ‘ Purple Smoke ’ can top out at 5 ’ . I make out this plant because the vertical spike of sensational lavender - profane flowers can easy be realize from a distance in my landscape painting . After it finishes flower in bound , it tends to flop over a bit , in all probability because of the system of weights of the seed pods . However , shearing it back by a third removes the seed pod and solves the flopping problem .
Common Milkweed ( Asclepias syriaca ) – Having grown up on a farm where this large , coarse - seem flora was an agricultural gadfly , I am not a big fan of it . However , common silkweed is a critical host plant for Monarch butterfly stroke larvae as well as an of import host for other mintage such as those listed in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife ’s blog onMilkweed – For More than Monarch Butterflies . For this reason , I do grow it in my landscape where it tops out at nearly 7 ’ . It can spread aggressively into large colonies . So , I am watching it to make indisputable it does n’t get out of restraint .
Culver ’s Root ( Veronicastrum virginicum ) – This 4 ’ to 6 ’ tall by 4 ’ wide plant provides a good strong vertical contrast to all the mound - shaped plants in my garden . The heyday appear as 6 ” to 9 ” long raceme ( spikes ) in mid - summer and last for about 4 to 6 week . After it finishes blooming , it can be cut back hard , which advance it to generate fresh Modern increment . A few cultivar of this plant life are useable displaying pallid lavender or pink flowers , but I choose the square species , with its white blossom .
Cup Plant ( Silphium perfoliatum ) – Whether you call it cup plant , Indian cup flora , or gum plant , this 4 ’ to 6 ’ magniloquent plant life gain a sheer program line in the motley perimeter . It has attractive great foliage , strong stalks , and 3 ” to 4 ” jaundiced , sunflower - like blossoms in mid- to late summer . Although native and therefore not technically invasive , this clump - shape flora can spread aggressively . I have plenty of way for it in my mixed borderline , but I keep it deadheaded so that it does n’t sow where it ’s not want .
Cutleaf Coneflower ( Rudbeckia laciniata ) ‘ Herbstsonne ’ — ‘ Herbstsonne ’ , which translates to ‘ Autumn sun ’ , is a favorite cultivar of cutleaf coneflower . In the third variant of his reference work book onHerbaceous Perennial Plants , author Allan Armitage refers to ‘ Herbstsonne ’ as“one of the finest coneflower in cultivation”and“ … the king of the sunny autumn garden . ”As the name suggests , the blossoms on this 5 ’ to 7 ’ tall by 4 ’ wide perennial are a strong xanthous colour with dark-green cones . The blossom period generally lasts from August through October . If this plant grow tall than you would like , it responds well to being edit back to a leaf client lower on the theme . I have sometimes cut it back doubly during the growing time of year – once in May and again in June or former July – to control its stature .
Perennial Sunflower ( Helianthus laetiflorus‘Lemon queen ’ ) – While there are other perennialHelianthusspecies that are more likeable , this natural loan-blend of two repeated species happens to be the one I bought at a local plant life sale some year ago . I was pull in to the idea of own hundred of sensationalistic blossoms in mid - summertime when my garden normally go on a break . It easy top out between 5 ’ and 7 ’ and is arrant for the back of the moulding . It does , however , spread with wild abandon ( translation : it is aggressive ! ) . When it acquire out of its allotted blank space , it ’s very easy to rip up . It more than makes up for its aggression when it starts flower in July and is covered with butterflies .
Tall Coreopsis ( C. tripteris ) – This species tops out at between 7 ’ and 9 ’ and is a whale compared to unretentive , 1 ’ to 2 ’ variety such as lanceleaf ( C.lanceolata ) or threadleaf ( C.verticillata ) . magniloquent Coreopsis has a long bloom time start in recent July and lasting for about two calendar month . When in heyday , the numbers of insects draw in to it are unbelievable . Various pollinator species flock to the hopeful yellow flowers and goldfinches love its seeds . I grow ‘ Gold Standard ’ , a 5 ’ to 6 ’ tall cultivar that is short than the true species . accord to the Mt. Cuba Centerplant trialinformation , ‘ Gold Standard ’ has potent stems that never fall through and is sturdier than the unbent species .
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ABOUT TALL PERENNIALS
Before introduce any new plant to your garden , research it thoroughly to ensure you bed what you are generate into . For example , check that you know how heavy the plant will be after it ’s been in the ground for several twelvemonth . Some of these marvellous perennial may overspread well beyond the infinite allocated to them . That may be beneficial if , like me , you require plants that can eventually fill in a larger region . But if you ’re concerned that a works may open too sharply in your landscape painting , then opt for other , “ well behaved ” species more worthy for your penury .
Keep in thinker what the plant will look like throughout the growing season . In his bookNew Naturalism , author Kelly Norris propose us that : “ It ’s gentle to list heavily on the tardy lushness of tall perennial , which form a green umbrella of flora over the basis , but these do n’t jump to lifespan in the first two week of spring . ” In other words , many of these plant do n’t offer any clue as to their final size when they are just emerging in spring , so it can be a shock when they gain their full summit and width by and by in the grow season and tower over your other planting .
If you want to add tall perennials to your own landscape painting , thenchoose a flora height that makes sentience for you . In my landscape , magniloquent perennials of at least 4 ’ or more made gumption because of the height of the plank fencing behind the planting plus the sizing and material body of plantings already in seat . But that may be too tall for some landscapes . Fortunately , many excellent short perennial species fall within the 3 ’ to 4 ’ improbable range , such as gayfeather ( Liatris Spicata ) , some beebalm ( Monarda ) change , and purple coneflower ( Echinacea purpurea ) .
IN SUMMARY
My landscape continues to be a work in progress . There ’s still a circumstances of piece of work to be done , but the tall perennials I ’ve append so far make the entire fencerow look much more interesting . It ’s a piffling wilder look now , but it ’s a flavour I can go with . I ’m also delight that the plants are providing pollen and nectar for beneficial worm species as well as nesting material and home ground for the many snort , modest mammalian , and amphibians that visit my back yard .
FEATURE PHOTO : Pat Chadwick
source
Armitage ’s Native Plants for North American Gardens(Armitage , Allan M. , 2006 )
Herbaceous Perennial Plants , 3rdEdition ( Armitage , Allan M. , 2008 )
aboriginal Plants of the Southeast , A Comprehensive Guide to the Best 460 Species for the Garden ( Mellichamp , Larry , 2014 )
New Naturalism(Norris , Kelly D. , 2021 )
Tall Perennials , Larger - than - Life Plants for Gardens of All Sizes ( Turner , Roger , 2009 )
