Spikes and spires

Nectar-rich vertical plants take up little space, says Val

- Val Bourne

SO many plants make rounded mounds of flower and foliage. Borders made up solely from these plants can resemble a rumpled duvet after a night out. This is why vertical spikes and spires are so necessary visually. The verticals link earth to sky, and break up the monotony of all those humps and lumps.

Many spikes and spires take up little ground space, because the flowerheads often rise from a rosette of foliage. The flowers generally open from the bottom and progress upwards, over a couple of weeks at least. They are usually nectar-rich and the plant manages the nectar by switching it on as the flowers open. They turn it off after the bees have visited. You can often see bees travelling up a flower spike, in search of energy-boosting nectar. As they enter and leave flowers, their bodies get dusted in pollen. The sticky pollen from the anthers gets transferred to the female parts of the flower and pollination takes place. This is an accidental by-product of nectar and pollen gathering.