Are you making the most of your garden space? Owners of small gardens, patios and terraces often feel unnecessarily limited by the space available. Certainly the ground space stops at the boundary fence or wall, but you can make your garden look and feel bigger and more interesting by adding some height to your planting scheme. There are lots of plants on offer which can add variety at different heights and help you make the most of what you’ve got.
Grafted plants on stems can offer a fabulous range of plants which can help satisfy the desire to add height to a small space. The range includes plants from the willow (Salix), holly (Ilex) and bay (Laurus) families, to mention just a few. Coming in a variety of shapes – conical, formal standard balls, weeping, even topiary shapes; these plants on stems can add a sense of fun and humour or perhaps a hint of formality and elegance to the garden. Many of the grafted species are suitable for growing in pots and containers, so are especially good for small spaces. They can be moved around every now and then with other plants in pots to highlight seasonal interest and keep the garden space exciting. Available heights tend to be between 1 and 3 metres; this largely depends on the species and graft so check with your retailer before buying.
Various members of the holly family are available grafted on stems. Bay (Laurus nobilis) can be bought as formal balls on stems and also conical shapes. Hollies and bays are great as formal standards, working well in matching pairs either side of a doorway or framing a particular aspect of the outside space. Both are evergreen with year round colour from wonderful glossy green leaves. Hollies are available which are fully hardy. However in areas with prolonged frosts, bay benefits from being moved into a cool greenhouse at vulnerable times of the year.
As is often the case with plants, bays and hollies are multi-talented, bringing more than just their good looks to where they stand. The leaves of the Bay laurel or Sweet bay are a kitchen essential especially for adding flavouring to a good casserole. Hollies, of course, come into their own at Christmas when they add atmosphere both outside the house and inside too.
There are many more grafted options on tall stems; look out for weeping willows, berry bearing Cotoneasters, evergreen Euonymus or the versatile box (buxus). Whatever your choice, each of these plants can bring its own version of the height of style to your garden.
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