Jun
21
Written by:
host
6/21/2009 5:51 PM
Standards are shrubs or vines that are pruned and trained into a tree form that has a single stem. Standards were a popular horticultural technique in Victorian times and are still also quite popular in European gardens. Commonly called “standard trees” or even topiaries -- bougainvillea, eugenia, hibiscus, oleander, orange jasmine, roses and rosemary are some of the plants most often trained into standards for Florida gardens. 
Standards are not for everyone, but they can be used as focal points in more formal gardens and add architectural structure in less formal ones. They are also nice for smaller garden spaces such as terraces (one in each corner or along the back edge for example), placed along garden paths, or against blank walls. Often the base of the standard is planted with additional flowers, typically annuals for containers and perennials for in ground planting.
Copyright ©2009 Paul J. Erdek, FloridaGardener.com
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