How To Show Off With Big Plants© Barbara M. Martin
Jun 23, 2000
Please note: Thank you for visiting my Cottage Garden topic and reading my columns, published here from February 1997 through spring 2003! This Cottage Garden column was written by Barbara M. Martin and is Copyrighted, including any photos, by Barbara M. Martin. It may not be altered or copied or published elsewhere in whole or in part without specific permission from the author. I regret I am no longer actively editing or contributing to this suite101.com topic as of mid-2003. Happy Gardening!Sometimes I get tired of twitchy little plants. Fussy things that need careful examination to appreciate. Or bifocals.  Some days I dream of a garden full of big stuff. Big plants that fill up space in a hurry and bust wide open. Humongous plants that spill over paths and block your way. The giant and monstrous that scare you by moonlight -- and flap at you the rest of the time. Stuff like that makes the neighbors say "What IS that?"
I'm talking BIG. Tall, or wide, or broad leafed. BOLD as in outrageously textured and with luck, wildly colored. Quality plants to show off to your friends and neighbors. Plants non gardeners can appreciate from a safe distance. Stuff that wows little kids. Too cool. So get ready. Some of the plants might be tropical, but many can be grown as annuals. Some may be perennial in all but the coldest of climates. This may or may not be a good thing, depending on the invasiveness of the plant, but even this can be controlled with a little thinking ahead. So what's your fancy? Big, Bold, Outrageous, or All-of-the-Above. Yes, that's what I thought. Here are some to look out for: Exotic (think Hawaii) Taro and Elephant Ear are easy in containers. Buy big tubers.
Hops. Climbs apace, twining its way over everything in its path -- including YOU.
Cannas bloom luxuriantly -- and can be nine feet tall! Look for striped or purple foliage.
Rampant Plume Poppy is great in front of a barn -- or for a tall silvery accent.
Plain old pie rhubarb is okay, but Rheum palmatum is better. Distinctive and elegant.
Rice-paper plant -- hardy maybe into zone 7 and way cool. Just too big to ignore. (Tetrapanax papyriferus)
Bananas anyone? Some hardy to zone 7 *at least*. Musa basjoo ... Wooohooo! (Pix from cold CT)
Miscanthus -- the giant purple one is smashing.
Bamboo. Twenty feet too tall? Try more than one size!
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