High and mighty

choose the right perennials to add vertical interest to your plot

The all-rounder

Acanthus spinosus:Also known as spiny bear’s breeches, this increasingly fashionable perennial ticks all the boxes. It has striking architectural foliage, which is intricately shaped, with deep cuts, and leaves topped with spires of white flowers that can reach 5ft from the end of spring and through the summer.

Gardening tips: ten things you need to know about tree peonies

BACKGROUND

• Gardening tips: ten things you need to know about trowels

• Gardening tips: ten things you need to know about wormeries

• Gardening tips: ten things you need to know about irises

• Gardening tips: ten things you need to know about slugs

Related Links

• How to stop your garden looking flat

The femme fatale

Aconitum‘Spark’s Variety’:Growing to 5ft, this variety of monkshood has deep-violet flower spikes that make it the perfect vertical accent plant for mid-to late summer. All parts of this plant are highly poisonous, however, so position it well out of reach of little hands.

The sultry charmer

Alcea rosea‘Nigra’:Better known as the hollyhock, this cottage-garden staple looks spectacularly sultry when the flowers are as deeply coloured as this; the dark maroon contrasting with the pale green foliage. This perennial, which grows to 6ft, is usually treated as an annual and removed after flowering, as it is susceptible to rust.

The cloudy one

Crambe cordifolia:This clump-forming plant is a combination of thuggish foliage – it is a member of the brassica family, and it shows in the puckered leaves, which can reach 1ft across – and semitransparent clouds of tiny white flowers, suspended high above the border. It can grow to 8ft.

The wild child

Cynara cardunculus:Cardoons, a relative of the globe artichoke, add drama to any planting scheme. The combination of silver foliage and spiky, thistle-like flowerheads, with a shock of purple in midsummer, makes this architectural 5ft perennial the punk rocker of the plant world.

The true-blue romantic

Delphinium‘Cassius’:I adore delphiniums, but they are equally attractive to slugs, so be sure to give them protection, especially when they emerge in spring and even during their dormancy. This variety, with gorgeous purple and blue flowers, each with a dark-brown centre, will grow to 5ft.

The high achiever

Eremurus robustus:This is another aptly named perennial – the rocket-shaped flower spikes of the foxtail lily shoot up to an impressive 10ft from the ground. The soft pink colour makes this plant a prime candidate for my border: it should reach the top of the hornbeam hedge.

Explore Gardens

• Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

• Chelsea Flower Show

Times recommends

• Second homes: credit crunch casualty or money-spinner?
• How I built my own sliding house
• Top 10 incentives for house buyers