No need to let tight quarters prevent you from planting the garden of your dreams. Vertical gardening is the key. These vertically-growing perennials, annuals, shrubs, and trees maximize gardening space by growing upwards, not outwards.
‘Globemaster’ Allium
‘Globemaster’ allium never fails to capture attention with its big and boisterous flower heads. The deep-lavender globe-shaped flower clusters of this perennial bulb are proudly displayed on slender, tall stems. The floral inflorescences look interesting even after the color fades. For the best bloom, plant allium in full sun.
Name: Allium ‘Globemaster’
Size: 18-30 inches tall
Zones: 4-9
Foxglove
Foxglove is an upright-growing biennial. It features tall spikes of long, tubular flowers primarily in white and hues of pink and purple. The plants grow in full sun or part shade. If you are aiming for maximum height, make sure to select a tall variety, such as the ‘Camelot’ series.
Name: Digitalis purpurea
Size: 1-5 feet tall,
Zones: 4-9
Maximilian Sunflower
Maximilian sunflower is a native perennial sunflower that lets you maximize garden space. It features numerous flowers with golden yellow petals and dark centers. Later in the season, its seeds attract birds. Like all sunflowers, it requires full sun. In exposed areas, the plants may need some staking.
Name: Helianthus maximiliani
Size: 3-10 feet tall, 2-4 feet wide
Zones: 4-9
Bearded Iris
Carson Downing
Bearded iris is one of the most popular irises, beloved for masses of large, showy blooms in a range of colors and bicolors. The swordlike foliage remains attractive even after blooms disappear. Bearded irises vary greatly in size; for vertical landscaping, select tall varieties. All bearded irises need at least six hours of sunlight per day.
Name: Iris x germanica
Size: 12-40 inches tall, 12-30 inches wide
Zones: 3-9
Foerster’s Feather Reed Grass
Credit:
Bryan E. McCay
Foerster’s feather reed grass has 6-feet-tall feathery stalks rising above a 2-foot base of foliage. Stalks emerge reddish brown in spring, maturing into rich hues of gold and buff in fall. In a northern climate, the grass does best in full sun, whereas in warmer climates, it benefits from some afternoon shade.
Name: Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’
Size: 3-5 feet tall, 1-2 feet wide
Zones: 4-9
Spider Flower
Spider flower is a tall annual with large white, pink, purple, or bicolor flowers containing the unique spiderlike stamens that lend the plant its common name. This self-seeding annual grows quickly and should be planted in full sun for a dense habit and the best floral display.
Name: Cleome hassleriana
Size: 1-5 feet tall, 1-4 feet wide
Zones: annual
Hollyhock
Hollyhock, which can be a biennial or perennial, grows its stunning flowers on rigid, towering stems. The large trumpet-shaped flowers come in colors including white, pink, red, yellow, and even black, along with bicolors. Plant it in full sun and near a natural wind barrier, such as a fence, building, or larger plantings, to keep the plants from bending over.
Name: Alcea rosea
Size: 3-8 feet tall, 1-3 feet wide
Zones: 2-10
Mexican Sunflower
Mexican sunflower is a rapid-growing annual with eye-catching orange-red daisylike flowers nodding on thickly branched, tall stems. A tough, drought-tolerant species, its only drawback is that it may require staking to keep it from sprawling after a heavy rain. A location in full sun ensures prolific bloom.
Name: Tithonia rotundifolia
Size: 3-8 feet tall, 2-3 feet tall
Zones: annual
Sunflower
Bob Stefko
If you need an annual that grows to towering height in a short time, there is nothing like sunflowers, the quintessential flower of summer. The height of these big, cheerful flowers varies depending on cultivar but all need full sun to thrive. Simple to start from seed, sunflowers come in colors from traditional golden yellow to burgundy and bicolors.
Name: Helianthus annuus
Size: 1-10 feet tall, 1-3 feet wide
Zones: annual
Kiss-Me-Over-the-Garden-Gate
Credit:
Eric Roth
Kiss-me-over-the-garden gate is an old-time favorite renowned for its quick growth rate and spikes of purple-pink flowers beloved by hummingbirds and other pollinators. It is an annual that readily self-seeds. In parts of the southeastern United States, it is considered an invasive species. It grows in full sun to part shade.
Name: Persicaria orientalis
Size: 4-7 feet tall, 2-4 feet wide
Zones: annual
Fine Line Buckthorn
Fine Line buckthorn is a tough, adaptable shrub for full sun to part shade locations. It boasts a fine, feathery texture and a narrow upright habit, making it suitable as a solitary vertical accent or massed for a privacy screen. In fall, the narrow leaves turn color gradually, resulting in an intriguing mix of green and gold.
Name: Rhamnus frangula ‘Ron Williams’
Size: 5-7 feet tall, 2-3 feet wide.
Zones: 2-7
Arborvitae
Arborvitae is one of the most popular evergreens for full sun, offering a range of shapes, sizes, and even hues. Upright growers like ‘Emerald Green’ (15 ft. tall, 3-4 ft. wide) are favored for privacy screens. Newer cultivars such as ‘Sting’ are even narrower, maturing at 15-20 ft. tall but just 12-18 in. wide.
Name: Thuja occidentalis
Size: Varies depending on cultivar
Zones: 3-8
Juniper
Brie Williams
Junipers are tough, durable, and drought-resistant evergreens for full sun. They come in many size options, including upright forms. such as the blue-green cultivars ‘Blue Arrow’ (12-15 feet tall, 2 feet wide) and Skyrocket (15-20 feet tall, 2-3 feet wide). Unlike arborvitae, it is also deer-resistant.
Name: Juniperus spp.
Size: Varies depending on cultivar
Zones: 4-9
Sky Pencil Japanese Holly
Brie Williams
Sky Pencil Japanese holly makes an elegant addition to the garden with an upright, columnar form and dark green evergreen foliage year-round. It will even set purplish berries if a male pollinator is nearby. This is a moderately fast-growing holly that needs full sun.
Name: Ilex crenata ‘Sky Pencil’
Size: 6-8 feet tall, 2-3 feet wide
Zones: 5-9
Green Tower Boxwood
Gabriela Herman
Boxwood is a dense, broad-leaf evergreen traditionally used as a foundation plant; however, upright forms like ‘Green Tower’ maximize growing space with a tight columnar habit. It is suitable for full sun or part shade. Plant is as a single columnar specimen or in pairs to flank a gate or entry.
Name: Buxus sempervirens ‘Monrue’
Size: 9 feet tall, 1-2 feet wide
Zones: 5-9
Lindsey’s Skyward Bald Cypress
Lindsey’s Skyward bald cypress is a deciduous conifer with fine, almost feathery green needles that turn an attractive rusty orange in fall. The tree has a dwarf, symmetrical columnar growth form with dense branching. It grows in full sun or light shade.
Name: Taxodium distichum ‘Skyward’
Size: 23-25 feet tall, 6-10 feet wide
Zones: 5-9
Arnold Sentinel Austrian Pine
Carson Downing
Arnold Sentinel Austrian pine is a drought-tolerant evergreen with uniform columnar shape and handsome bluish-green needles. It thrives in full sun and well-drained soils, requires low maintenance, and has no major pest or disease issues.
Name: Pinus nigra ‘Arnold Sentinel’
Size: 20-30 feet tall, 5-10 feet wide
Zones: 3-7
Slender Silhouette Sweet Gum
Denny Schrock
Slender Silhouette sweet gum is a tree with a tight, columnar shape. It is suitable for both full sun and part shade. This is a fast grower that is best planted in poor soils and tough locations to slow down its growth and keep its narrow habit. The star-shaped leaves turn mixed hues of yellow, orange, red, and burgundy in fall.
Name: Liquidambar styraciflua ‘Slender Silhouette’
Size: 50-60 feet tall, 5-6 feet wide
Zones: 5-9
Columnar Swedish Aspen
Pcturner71 / Getty Images
Columnar Swedish aspen offers the pleasant sound of fluttering leaves in the slightest breeze as well as pretty butter-yellow fall foliage of the species. It requires full sun but is well adapted to very cold climates.
Name: Populus tremula ‘Erecta’
Size: 40 feet tall, 10 feet wide
Zones: 2-5