This spring when I replaced the plants I lost over the winter, I made the mistake of not thinking it through and ended up with an assortment of low-growing plants with one taller plant to the side. It looked, well, lopsided and didn’t really attract much positive attention. Here’s how I corrected the problem without investing in new plants or garden decor.
A Tall Potted Plant
When I looked around the yard for something to lend height to my bed, I suddenly realized I had just the thing sitting right in front of me. I moved my potted poinsettia – three feet tall by the way – into the bed to offset the one tall plant I had.
A Decorative Chair
Okay, so my chair isn’t decorative. It’s just an ordinary old garden chair I had sitting around – but you can use a decorative one if you prefer. I placed the chair in the center back of the bed with tall plants on either side.
A Colorful Plant
Even though the chair added height, it looked a little bare – so I added a terracotta pot filled with a bright red geranium. You, of course, are free to use the plant of your choice – but I recommend an upright plant to add even more height.
Vines in the Back
I already had a fence in place so I took the opportunity to add some sweet peas along the fence. Although they haven’t begun to climb yet, when they do, they will give the illusion of height to the bed and add bright color as well. You could use other vines such as morning glories or nasturtiums if you prefer.
A Hummingbird Feeder
I added a small shepherd hook to suspend a small feeder in the middle of the bed. Because is it shorter than the back of the chair but taller than the plants in the front of the bed it draws the eye upward creating the illusion of height.
Get creative and look around your yard for items you can use to add height to your flowerbed. Remember you can always stack things – as I did with the chair and the plant – to get the height you desire.
