Winter is the perfect time to gain a fresh perspective on your garden vista. Before the buds and blooms return in the Spring, take an objective look at your yard. Are your beds and borders lacking dimension? If your landscape suffers from too many flat planes, shake things up a bit and incorporate a few vertical elements into the garden.
With the strategic placement of color, you can guide the viewer’s eye to your desired focal point or, conversely, away from a not-so-great view. 
This can be as simple as setting a pot brimming with blooms up on a wall ledge, training sweetpeas or thunbergia up a tuteur or coaxing climbing roses over an arch or arbor. Well-sited vertical elements add visual interest all year, even when there’s no plant material covering the structure.
This can be as simple as setting a pot brimming with blooms up on a wall ledge, training sweetpeas or thunbergia up a tuteur or coaxing climbing roses over an arch or arbor. Well-sited vertical elements add visual interest all year, even when there’s no plant material covering the structure.
By staggering heights with the use of these vertical elements, you can create a layered or terraced effect even in a tiny garden. Get creative and continue the vertical approach on your terrace or patio. Instead of just using pots placed on the ground and hanging baskets at or above eye level, don’t neglect that middle layer. By strategically placing containers approximately waist-high (which is at eye level when seated), you can create a private nook for reading or dining. In lieu of placing pots on a table or traditional plant stand, try something unexpected like a freestanding candelabra to hold a bounty of small potted plants. Imagine how beautiful this would be on your terrace with flowers cascading down from each level!