Structural Plants & How to Use Them in Your Garden - Garden Design (2024)

When designing gardens, one of the first things I do is focus on key structural plants that will provide interest throughout the year while also serving a myriad of functions. Often called ‘statement plants’ or ‘architectural plants,’ structural plants have strong, unique, and striking shapes, whether from their form, foliage, flowers, or branching patterns. Structural plants, however, are more than just a conversation piece or something to delight the eye; their functional aspects are critical to the success of a garden.

For example, many structural plants are referred to as the ‘bones’ of a garden. Similar to the strength and support provided by the bones in our bodies, a garden’s ‘bones’ provide a year-round solid and sturdy framework for the entire garden, even in the bleakest days of winter.

Statement plants can also provide a subtle sense of order, which is especially important to many naturalistic gardens that can quickly appear a bit chaotic and out of control. In addition, structural plants can also create a sense of drama, anchor a garden, draw the eye upwards (making a smaller space appear larger), or help define traditional spaces.

On this page:

• STRUCTURAL PLANTS
• 7 DESIGN TIPS FOR USING STRUCTURAL PLANTS

STRUCTURAL PLANTS

7 TIPS FOR USING STRUCTURE IN THE GARDEN

1. Provide the framework of the garden. Use evergreen structural plants to provide the framework or backbone of your garden. Whether defining a specific space or dividing the garden into specific rooms (i.e., kitchen garden, seating area, perennial bed,) evergreen shrubs can act as gateways, helping to transition from one space to another.
2. Add year-round structure to a perennial bed. A framework of dependable, structural shrubs is at the heart of every successful border. These architectural plants anchor an overabundant perennial bed in the spring and summer and prevent a garden from going down with a whimper in the blistering hot days of August when many perennials have grown weary. Structural shrubs, whether evergreen or deciduous, also provide year-round interest in the quiet winter months.
3. Combine contrasting form and shape. It’s true what they say: variety is the spice of life. If your garden has more predictability than pizzazz, the solution might be as straightforward as injecting it with a healthy dose of contrast. Contrast creates dynamic energy through the visual tension created by different elements (i.e., colors, textures, or forms). Incorporating a mix of structural shapes, such as mounding, vertical, or weeping, will keep your garden visually exciting throughout the year.
4. Use restraint with strong forms. If a little’s good, a lot isn’t always better! The stronger the form, the more likely it is that it should be used as a single specimen to make a visual impact. Too many strong forms in one area can have the opposite effect, resulting in too much visual stimulus and chaos. To avoid this, use strong forms sparingly, surrounding them with plants with softer, mounding habits that won’t compete with their attention.
5. Provide winter interest. Evergreen plants with substantial forms give a garden structure—and interest—in winter’s quiet months. Shrubs such as ‘Degroot’s Spire’ arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) or ‘Compacta’ holly (Ilex glabra) not only have the strength and volume to stand up to oppressive mounds of snow but, when covered with a blanket of white, add visual interest in the garden. Deciduous shrubs also play an integral part, with winter highlighting those with extreme shapes to show off their usually hidden lines. Some structures, such as the twisting branches of Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick (Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’), the weeping branches of a European white birch (Betula pendula), or the dramatic shape of a weeping Norway spruce (Picea abies ‘Pendula’) often look their best in the dead of winter.
6. Create a sense of whimsy. Memorable gardens contain memorable moments, sometimes as a result of a playful sense of humor. Create a sense of whimsy using plants with unique structures (i.e., the weeping waterfall effect of a Blue Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca Pendula’), or spiky, twisty branches of the monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana)—which is sure to be the talk of the neighborhood!
7. Choose double-duty structure whenever possible. To get the most bang for your buck, try incorporating shrubs with more than one unique feature. For example, the pyramidal form of evergreen Soft Serve® Gold false cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera) provides a unique structure to the garden, but also offers an unusual golden color.

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