The Garden Helper

Helping Gardeners Grow Their Dreams since 1997.

No-dash-here, you've found The Real Garden Helper! Gardening on the Web since 1997

I need some height...

Gardening Reference » Gardening in 2006
by ND farm girl on September 18, 2006 04:44 AM
Not me - I'm 5'9", I don't need height, but my beds do.

I see the beds everyone have created and I see mine that I started working on just last year, and they are FLAT. Just last week I had my husband bring me top soil from the field and mixed compost in it and added it to my existing beds, and the new beds I dug up a few weeks ago, I made sure I had a lot and kinda had more in the middle for height. But I know next spring it will settle and be flat again I'm sure. Am I just not being patient with my shrubs and tall plants that need time to fill in and grow tall or is there another 'trick'?

Kinda like this picture from Burpee - the big shrub (by the way, does anyone know what it is?) with the flowers around the front of it. Do I just need more shrubs - taller ones - to satisfy what I am looking for?

I have been getting carried away with flowers - but I think I need to get more of a foundation of shrubs or something. I did plant 6 spirea and 2 Wine and Rose bushes - I think I'm going to love those! But - I was watching HGTV the other day (what's new?) and the guy on there with a gorgeous garden said he's working on having a garden that if you leave for a week, when you get home it will be grown over! That's what I want! [Smile]

 - Burpee - see, raised in the back..also - what is that green shrub?

* * * *
PattyM
by TulsaRose on September 18, 2006 05:16 AM
Here's the link Patty is showing...
 -

I wish I could give you a description of everything pictured there but my eyes are shot at this stage and the image is too small for a lot of details. I've torn the house apart looking for my catalog (same one) and can't find it. [Eek!] Hopefully some of the others will be able to give you some pointers.

* * * *
Rosie z7a
 -
 -
by joclyn on September 18, 2006 08:54 AM
yes, varied heights DO give a garden interest!!

why don't you check out their website?? i'm sure, somewhere, you will find what that plant is!! you could even send them an email and ask them...
by ND farm girl on September 18, 2006 09:24 AM
I did a few days ago - still waiting to hear back.

Any tips on getting height or am I doing the right thing? See how next spring summer goes and if nothing else - dig everything up in the fall and add more dirt and replant?

* * * *
PattyM
by tkhooper on September 18, 2006 06:33 PM
ND just choose plants that grow to different heights. I'm always choosing plants that are too tall for my space.

They include canna, and hollyhocks, now the canna are rhyzomes that you would probably have to lift every year in ND but the hollyhocks are biennial so you need to plant them two years in a row. One year you get foliage and the next year you get the flower stocks which are really tall and stately. They are great for the back of a bed planting. Which is usually how tall plants are described.

Snapdragons also get nice and tall depending on which ones you get. Good luck with your garden.

* * * *
 -
 -
by ND farm girl on September 18, 2006 09:23 PM
tk- thanks for the info on the hollyhocks! I have some to plant next spring and didn't even think about planting them 2 years in a row to get blooms each year! Duh. Good idea! [nutz]

* * * *
PattyM
by Bestofour on September 19, 2006 12:40 AM
You'll need to figure out what's perennial where you are and what reseeds (incase you don't want that to happen). Hollyhocks do reseed. What about cleome - it gets call and reseeds here.

Are you talking flowers or shrubs? August Beauty gardenias get pretty tall and look like a plain shrub around here until they flower and smell really good.

* * * *
 -
 -
 - http://www.picturetrail.com/bestofour  -
by ND farm girl on September 19, 2006 09:20 AM
Thanks for the tips.

* * * *
PattyM
by Bestofour on September 19, 2006 09:45 AM
Patty, I can send you some cleose and cleome seeds. They each get sort of tall - maybe 4 or 5 feet. They both reseed a bunch though. Also have some black hollyhock seeds I can send.

* * * *
 -
 -
 - http://www.picturetrail.com/bestofour  -
by ND farm girl on September 27, 2006 09:58 AM
Thanks bestofour!

* * * *
PattyM
by njoynit on September 27, 2006 11:15 AM
hmmm tall stuff.
Castor beans(and I can share [gabby] )
Sunflowers(and stagger their sowings2-3 weeks)
I got a hibiscus you can grow from seed that blooms in sept& gets 10 ft tall& at least 5 ft wide.when the temps start to cool the foliage will get purple edges.
evening primerose.it has yellow flowers blooms about aug & it gets tall(more so in sun)
Goldenrod.I got one that gets tall.It got a few stalks over 12 ft this year.its close to blooming now.
Mexican sunflower.in full sun...in a rich bed well fertilized....I learned it will grow very tall.I've never grown a 10 ft mexican sunflower.It was NOT this tall last year& will require a ladder to clip seed heads(or a grab& snip)
Brugmansias!But they can be adicting...I could tell you how to winterize them so could grow in pots with holes drilled to grow in ground for the summer.winterizeing whole trunks DOES have advantages.............
Cannas....did you know some have colored or yellow striped foliage?and they get TALL & some can grow from seed.

Here is a recent shot (on a foggy morning) of the back of my flowerbed
 -
(its a future project...I figure if I fill it in......It'll be easier to mow& less to mow .Backside is 2 banaana trees both shooting a sucker i've decided to leave to multiply.kumquat tree that doubled this year(its 2 yrs old)& at the pole is 1 fireball hibiscus& a group of seeding cannas& white 4 pms & tomato planter.(not a good year there)Are 4 brugmansias over here....2 are relocateing& also a oakleaf hygrandgea(I need to stake it...it got engulfed by a duantra& cypress vine)
THIS is 2 plants of the fireball hibiscus.
 -
Its everywhere.I've woven it through the other plants now cause we had a few windy days after this shot steady hot breeze of 20-25 mph.Its blooming its A$$ off now.I've done decided to grow me a whole hedge of this next year....I love it THAT much.In shade it don't grow very tall at all.I wasn't sure it'd set buds bud it has.they are close to blooming.
This is russian red canna it blooms late in season,but gets at least 9 ft tall awesome red blooms& is a brugmansia I grew from trunk cutting rooted over.Its about 5 ft tall& actually needs moved over about a ft.
 -

I didn't get that catalog...My eyes are shot also.I'd guess maybe a salvia?some can grow 3-4 ft tall.You can grow on what they call a Berm(its basically a hill of soil sloped less on one side)Google berm)http://www.google.com/search?q=Berm&sourceid=mozilla-search&start=0&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official

My fence adds height to my beds.you don't see it now....but I have a once blooming climber rose engulfing my fence.
June
 -
May
 -
Rose
 -
April
 -

As you see....that bed gets quiet full.The yucca is hardy for me.It gets some frost damage,but I'f i trim it....you'd never know it.the bottom foliage doesn't get damage.I imagine a pillowcase would save alot..I also had some chocolate mint re seed from the hurricne due to NOT picking seeds.most of those will relocate this fall.The rose has gotton lots of new runners...i'll find them all when the bed dies down.I been working on this bed.I needed to remove some yellow& get some height.I removed the yellow but need to bring the goldenrod back due to bloom time.I also have a latana engulfed in there.that hibiscus ate it..lol

* * * *
 -
 -
I will age ungracefully until I become an old woman in a small garden..doing whatever the Hell I want!

http://community.webshots.com/user/njoynit03
http://community.webshots.com/user/njoynit
http://photos.yahoo.com/njoynit03
by njoynit on September 27, 2006 11:46 AM
This is an august shot.
 -

* * * *
 -
 -
I will age ungracefully until I become an old woman in a small garden..doing whatever the Hell I want!

http://community.webshots.com/user/njoynit03
http://community.webshots.com/user/njoynit
http://photos.yahoo.com/njoynit03
by TulsaRose on September 27, 2006 07:10 PM
NjoyNit, your "jungle" is stunning! The plants are so huge, they make you look like a tiny little thing. [Wink] Great Pix! Post More Please!

* * * *
Rosie z7a
 -
 -
by njoynit on September 27, 2006 07:57 PM
If you look in the bottom of the rose picture.....you'll see what the formosa lillys look like as seedlings.Its a shame I didn't realize that when weeding the bed in March.I bet I pulled alot of them out.(but have sowed more............)

I got another bed that became a jungle.I like cosmos....but didn't like them in the fence bed.I'll proably rip them out to the compost today.sure.....they'll grow 3 ft...but if fertilized and fertile bed its more like 5-6 ft& they shaded other plants in bed so they grew crappy(but did great shadeing my gourds roots!)

Gladiolis(stagger bulbs planting by 2 weeks for longer blooms)
milkweed
hardy hibiscus(trim after blooms for more blooms)
cleome- are short& tall ones.I like the sparkler ones
turks caps
you can stick a pole/post and grow a vine for height.

* * * *
 -
 -
I will age ungracefully until I become an old woman in a small garden..doing whatever the Hell I want!

http://community.webshots.com/user/njoynit03
http://community.webshots.com/user/njoynit
http://photos.yahoo.com/njoynit03
by ND farm girl on September 29, 2006 05:17 AM
Keep the ideas coming! Love the pics! Just passing through today - been busy with harvest!

* * * *
PattyM
by plantqueen on September 29, 2006 05:51 AM
Love the pics njoynit!!! You have some beautiful plants and flowers there!

* * * *
 -
 -

 -

All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.
by penny in ontario on September 29, 2006 07:04 AM
Amazing pictures!!! What a great job~!

* * * *
 -
 -

 -

Active Garden Forum

Similar discussions:


Search The Garden Helper: