Sometimes we need plants that are full and solid, and other times it’s good to have plants that aren’t as heavy. Don’t think of these as “leggy.” Remember these plants for the times when you need something that doesn’t block the view of the garden beyond. Here are some suggestions:
Verbena bonariensis is one of the best see-through annuals. The purple flowers top tall, thin stems from July until late frost. Here the Verbena towers above blue Salvia and other flowering annuals.
Corn poppies also grow on tall, thin stems. They are bright without blocking the view of objects or plants beyond where they grow.
Garden heliotrope, aka Valeriana officinalis, is a short-lived perennial in most gardens that flowers in early summer. This plant self-seeds when happy and the flowers are fragrant. In the foreground of this photo you see the purple foliage of another good perennial, see-though plant, Cimicifuga ‘Brunette’.
One of the best shrubs that qualify as a see-though plant is the Prague Viburnum, and Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ is a grass that qualifies for the role.
