GARDENER'S READING ROOM
The Art of Gardening
Trees and Shrubs

Vertical Solutions

A common topic among visitors to Sky Nursery of late is trying to garden in a small and often narrow space. Everything from new condos to large housing developments is putting the pressure on being green where there is very little elbow room. A lot of people are now faced with, well, being face to face, when trying to enjoy that garden space. I'll offer you some ideas that you can use to make that space greener and more private.

Pyracantha

One common term used in vertical gardening is 'espalier'. This is an age-old technique originally employed to grow fruit trees in small gardens along walls and fences. As such, it was and is an effective way to grow productive fruit-bearing trees, but it's not limited to that alone. While the word espalier evokes a formal style, the reality is quite different. Several small trees and shrubs can be trained to grow in this two-dimensional way very informally. A few that you will find at Sky Nursery that are used regularly for this include Camellias (both winter and spring blooming), which provide you with glossy foliage and a range of flower form and color; Magnolia grandiflora 'Little Gem', with deep dark green foliage and creamy flowers; and several varieties of Pyracantha with reddish orange or golden berries in the fall. While we have these as already trained 3 to 4 foot tall specimens, you can also choose a nice one-gallon sized plant to start on your own trellis, training it to fit the space and style of your liking. Other great plants to consider for this style include Cotoneaster parneyi with vivid reddish orange winter berries, or Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca pendula' (also known as Weeping Atlas Cedar), with its evergreen form and bluish-grey coloring.

Weeping Atlas Cedar

If training an espalier isn't the answer for you, but you till need something to grow vertically and horizontally, you might try a self-attaching vine. One of my favorites is Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala 'petiolaris'). Climbing Hydrangea uses small self-attaching root-like tendrils, which makes it an excellent vine for growing on brick walls or up tall high-limbed trees. A close cousin with a similar habit and flower form is Schizophragma hydrangeoides (Japanese Climbing Hydrangea). While both are slow to establish and take years to reach full size, the Japanese Climbing Hydrangea is the smaller of the two. Left to their own devices, these handsome vines can reach 20 feet or more in height, but their slow growth makes them easy to control at a smaller size. Both have handsome green foliage and white lace-cap flowers. In the fall and winter their stems are bare, revealing a cinnamon coloring with peeling bark, thus providing you with year-round interest. Look for the following varieties at Sky Nursery: 'Platt's Dwarf', 'Little Leaf' and 'Miranda'. These plants have another characteristic that is a winner here in the Northwest: they are shade tolerant and prefer not to have late afternoon summer sun. If, however, sun is your element, then consider the fragrant and evergreen climber Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides). This self-twining vine is ideal for creating a privacy screen and provides you with deep, dark green glossy foliage with intensely fragrant white pinwheel blossoms in mid summer.

Star Jasmine

Aside from training a plant to conform to a situation, there are some that lend themselves naturally to the narrow upright form. This is not to say that they will attain a neat tidy appearance on their own, as there will be occasion for pruning and shearing to achieve the look you want. One example is Euonymus japonica 'Green Spire', an evergreen shrub with deep, dark green foliage often ovate in shape. This is an excellent candidate for a formal or informal hedge. Ilex crenata 'Sky Pencil', with its pencil-thin growth habit and lustrous, dark evergreen leaves, provides a rare, natural, vertical accent in the landscape. Even the smallest of spaces can accommodate this excellent and durable holly. If you need a conifer, Cupressus sempervirens 'Monshel' (Tiny Towers Italian Cypress) is a unique compact form with exceptionally dense blue-green foliage that maintains its narrow, columnar form and tidy, well-groomed appearance without pruning. This is a great container plant for the patio/deck, even the entry way or next to the garage.

I've only touched on a few ideas from each area here, but you can see there are many solutions to the problems of vertical gardening. Before you decide on something, be sure to do a study of your situation. Look at sun conditions now and for summer, consider soil elements and whether or not the plant needs to be in a container. Ask yourself questions about how tall you want it to grow and how wide. If you are unsure about which plant solution is right for you, just ask one of our Nursery associates and we'll gladly help you come up with just the right choice.

By Joseph Abken
Skylights Spring 2006 Vol. 20, No. 1

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