A to Z Guide on How to Add Height to a Garden

picture describing how to add height to a garden

There is nothing more beautiful than a garden that is heightened. In addition to adding height to your premises, it also gives you privacy. Here we have gathered all the information you need to know about how to add height to a gardenSo stick till the end.

Why Do You Need to Add Height To Your Garden?

Adding height to a garden can be beneficial in many ways. The good idea is to add height through planting to reduce views and increase privacy. If you don’t want to invest in a 30-meter-high Conifer, you don’t have to go out and buy one. To make this effect work, it is important to use just a few specimens that add height to the arrangement. There is a good chance that if you restrict all of those views, you will also be preventing all of the light in the area from coming through!

The right height in a planting plan can make a huge difference to the garden’s privacy, which can be achieved relatively easily. It is also important to remember that tall plants are not necessarily more maintenance intensive. Fastigiate cherries and Viburnum ‘Dawn’ are upright shrubs that do not absorb a lot of space, offer seasonal colour, and require very little maintenance. Add interest to the borders by creating transitions between one plant to another, and maintain a sense of structure throughout the year by varying the wall height from ground level to just above fence height.

How To Add Height To A Garden

Here we have the answer to your question about how to add height to a garden.

The showy planting in the middle of a garden can also draw the eye upwards while providing height. Planted with vines or climbing roses, they can create nicely scented height in any garden. Raised beds placed at the bases of arbours can enhance their decoration. Add elevations to your garden to change its size and shape.

Small gardens can feel cramped, and large gardens can seem overwhelming when all your attention is focused at ground level. You can arrange climbing plants on trellises on a wall or introduce a sculpture to the garden to encourage the eye to look up from the ground. When you design a garden, you should create a journey, enticing you from point to point. Creating an eye-level picture of what’s behind an arch draws your attention at eye level. If your garden is small, you can add just one archway over a pathway to create a sense of balance.

There is no need to worry about maintaining tall plants. Fastigiate cherries or Viburnum ‘Dawn’ offer seasonal colour and require very little maintenance, yet they do not take up too much ground space. Creating a border of varying height from ground level to just above the fence height will add interest by creating transitions between plants. Adding additional height to your fence without it feeling like a prison is a non-intrusive way to achieve an increase in your boundary. Your walls will look taller with Trellis toppers that don’t add much weight or increase shade. Depending on your style, they can be linear or lattice types.

Plants to Select

If you are looking for a guide on how to add height to a garden it is important to know what plants to add and how to select them. The surrounding environment should be considered when choosing plants to add height to the garden. You should use plants stretching out a little above the fence posts, for example, if a bed skirts a fence that is four feet tall. The wall will appear more prominent if they aren’t even taller than the fence. This could even give the impression that the plants are caged in.

When you have selected your tallest plant, the next step would be to step down the heights from that point onwards. A general rule of thumb states that the heights should be stepped down by half. An orange-flower zinnia would make a good companion plant for a six-foot-tall ‘Pretoria’ canna. Zinnias look pretty next to purple-tone ageratums or Gomphrenas that reach 18 inches in height. To heighten its effect, you could create a supersized planting by placing even taller castor beans or sunflowers behind the canna.

The tallest plant should equal half the planting area’s width if you do not have a structure to influence plant height. When selecting plants for a birdbath or sculpture, you should choose plants that do not exceed two-thirds the size of the object they will surround. If possible, find large plant specimens at a garden centre so you can compare them side-by-side.

If you want to save money, you can purchase smaller plants. However, this will allow you to compare their sizes. A tall banana and a creeping verbena may appear cartoonish if you pair them together. Fortunately, the problem can be easily resolved. Pulling and replanting your plants is always an option. You can also plant midsize plants between the two if you wish. Choosing an arbour or sculpture can be one of the more difficult decisions due to the less-forgiving scale of mistakes.

Choosing too large will make your plantings look like something out of a giant’s garden, and you will have to live with it. It is important to choose relatively large items, or they will get buried under plantings, and you will be hard-pressed to see them. However, these quick-colour annuals and tender perennials work well in a planting design with tall, medium, and short plants. Got enough information on how to add height to a garden? Let’s move to the next part

Plants That Can Add Height to the Garden

Once you know how to add height to a garden, the next step is to consider which plants you should have. Here is a list of some plants that can help add height to a garden.

Delphinium

‘Fluffiness’ makes Delphinium an ideal cottage garden plant because it is a tough perennial with a beautiful ‘fluff.’ 

As a bonus, it’s tall, adding height and shade. They grow up to 150 cm high and bloom from June to September. Layer them behind other varieties to ensure they don’t get overshadowed by other flowers. 

Torch lilies

Red hot poker (aka torch lily) stems have a fiery burst of colour that I find appealing. These low-maintenance perennials are the best plant for adding height to a garden. It seems that neither deer nor rabbits like them either. They prefer sunny spots with well-drained soil; moist soil may cause their crowns to rot. Place the torches prominently so they will stand out!

Allium

If you know how to add height to a garden you also need to know that allium is the best addition. A bold and beautiful head of allium filled with star-shaped flowers can add sculptural interest to your borders. It is more impactful to plant them close together than in a row. Sunlight is also important to them. 

If combined with garden wall ideas for a more interesting garden boundary, they will grow up to 60cm high. May through July is the flowering season. 

Lupins

Lupins can grow up to 2 meters tall, with the tallest varieties reaching up to 3 meters.

Almost every rainbow colour can also be found in these striking, splendiferous plants, which are super easy to grow.

In terms of soil, Lupins don’t have too many preferences but don’t thrive in wet and heavy soil.

A border is ideal for hiding an ugly fence or wall or growing best in full to partial sun.

False Indigo 

In addition to having lovely long spires of blooms, this is another plant I’ve chosen. Various colours can be found in modern hybrids. Neither false indigo nor wild indigo is susceptible to many pests and diseases. Aside from being drought-tolerant, they are also hardy. As a result of the stems staying upright and together, the foliage resembles a shrub.

Bottom Line

It is every person’s right to have privacy in their home. But when sitting in the garden with the low fence, you may see people peeking inside. Thus, you can go for adding height to the park. This way, you will be protected from many eyes, and you can enjoy your evenings with a cup of coffee. Therefore, we have brought a guide on how to add height to a garden to make it easier for you to protect it. For more information follow us!