Master Gardeners: Architectural Plants

Helen Halpenny (Member of Lanark County Master Gardeners) | Feb 08, 2023

Now is a great time to think about your property, which changes can you do this coming season, to enhance it?

Just as an architect use geometric forms to build a house, such as triangles for roofs and dormers, rectangles for windows, columns for porches, etc. to make a box-like building look interesting, we as gardeners use various shapes to add interest to our yards. How boring to have a house sitting on a lot with no walkways, fences, and no plants.

Permanent structures like decks, pergolas, fences, walkways, etc. are called hardscaping, and they organize our yards to make them functional and attractive.

Plants including trees shrubs, perennials annuals and bulbs enhance the basic structure of a house Plants come in many shapes, sizes and colours. When we think of trees, we see conical shaped trees like cedars and spruce, oval forms like maples, round forms such as crabapple, weeping willows, and columnal forms as in skyrocket juniper. The shapes of trees and shrubs provide the bones of a garden and provide architectural elements. Look to shrubs for vase-shaped, mounding and round forms. All these shapes add variety and interest to the landscape. Repetition of forms add unity to the overall design.

Perennials and annuals also have an important role to play in enhancing our yards. As well as form, they provide colour and texture. The tall stocks of hollyhocks, delphinium, and ornamental grasses add height. The spiky leaves of yucca grow to make a round shape. Bushy weigelas or ninebarks can hide unsightly objects like compost piles. Climbing plants like morning glories, and Dutchman’s pipe will twine around poles and soften vertical elements as well as providing shade. Plants such as these and many others can be called architectural plants.

Even some of our edible vegetables can add great colour and interest. Flower beds need not be just for flowers. Artichoke and cardoon with their thistle like leaves and globular heads are show stoppers, and when they bloom their purple flowers are amazing. The pendulous seeds and leaves of love-lies-bleeding are edible. So too, are the colourful stocks of ‘bright lights’ Swiss chard. Kale cultivars like ‘Redbor’ or ‘Tuscany’ add great texture and taste. Of course they have many nutrients too. Indeterminate tomatoes can be attractively trellised and fit right in amongst annuals, adding colour and snacks.

No garden is too small to include interesting plants that have a variety of shapes, sizes and texture. Don’t be afraid to mix it up and try something new this year.