58. BACKDROPS MAKE FLOWERS “POP”

Flowers really “pop” if you have a backdrop. Without something to stop the eye, a flower planting can look lonely and stark, like a circle of marigolds or perennial baptisia growing in the middle of an open lawn. Backgrounds provide a boundary or “sense of place” by enclosing the view. It can be a physical screen such as a fence, a shrub, a hedge, or a wall. A tall shrub with dark red foliage, such as ‘Royal Purple’ smokebush, makes a great backdrop, because the deep color sets off the color of the flowers in front of it.

The backdrop does not have to be close. It may be a distant view where a meadow, slope, or lawn rises, offering a faraway uphill background, as in an impressionist painting. This is called a high horizontal line. The lower part of the view is a flower bed, while the upper view is a hillside behind and above the blossoms. It is an effective way to utilize a slope.

A stone wall makes a great solid backdrop for flowers. The natural stones offer a textured contrast to the color and form of the flowers. If you have a wall, consider adding a flower bed in front of a portion of it. A tall, sunny stone wall will radiate heat back to the flowers, so plant heat-tolerant flowers like perennial yarrow, sedum, or blanket flower (Gaillardia) to take advantage of that microclimate.

One other possibility for a floral backdrop is an open, rustic trellis fence with vines growing up and around the rough posts. The trellis can be made from weathered, free-form branches that span the distance between several equally spaced wood posts. Train climbing vines such as Dutchman’s pipe (Aristolochia macrophylla) on the trellis to serve as a green backdrop to a flower bed.