Takeaway - Go Vertical

I recently made a trip to Minnesota to tour the American Hosta Society Convention gardens. I visited 12 fantastic gardens in varying parts of the state; all very different in style and taste.  I loved every one of them and will share some of the photos in future posts.

Whenever I visit a garden I look for inspiration; design elements that might enhance my own gardens. My big takeaway after visiting the convention gardens was to go vertical with plants and structures.

Many of the garden owners had an appreciation for Clematis and grew a number of varieties. These same garden owners found or built a variety of tall structures for their Clematis to climb on.  Most of these structures were seven or eight feet in height and added vertical structure to the garden.

Another great plant that I have only used sparingly is the drumstick Allium. I saw a wide variety of Alliums and many of them were the tall drumstick varieties that grow at least 36" in height. I recently did a little homework on drumsticks.  Which was not hard to do as all the bulb catalogs are coming in the mail this month.  I found four different varieties that will grow up to 36" that I would like to grow, including Allium stipitatum White Giant which will grow up to 48" in height.

Some of the gardeners had a little fun with the Allium flower heads after the flower went past.  They spray painted the flower head a vibrant color to extend its visual interest in the garden. 
Another must have for colder climates is the Martagon Lily.  These lilies have green foliage that grows in whirls topped with generous blooms.  These lilies make a great verticle statement in the garden as they grow at least six feet high.  They love the shade and make the perfect companion plant for hostas.  The Lilies will come up and bloom while the hostas are still flushing out.

I was very inspired by these towering plants and have plans to add all three of these to my garden to help  create more vertical structure and interest.