Canadian Gardening asked a horticulture instructor and a garden designer for their suggestions regarding vertical plants that work in small spaces:
Jeffry de Jong, instructor of horticulture, Calgary:
• Castor bean (Ricinus communis) for its beautiful red flowers.
• Lax-stemmed roses such as “John Cabot” treated as a climber.
• Morning glory (Ipomoea) woven through a colourfully painted (try red or purple) metal trellis.
Lalieth White, garden designer, Vancouver:
• Five-leaf akebia (Akebia quinata) for its distinctive foliage and unusual brownish purple flowers.
• Evergreen clematis (Clematis armandii) for year-round interest (but it’s a vigorous grower, so keep it in check).
• Rosemary pruned into a topiary tree form and grown in a pot on a patio.
Native Plant Picks
Robert Howard, a Canadian Gardening correspondent, has two fav- ourite picks for Ontario.
• The Tulip tree ( Liriodendron tulipfera, Zone 5), is ideal for large properties. It has tulip-like flowers in late May, June.
• Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium spp., Zone 4), has butterfly-attracting flowers in late summer in clusters of pink to pur- ple, and grows to 1.8 metres.
