Growing Upwards – Why Vertical Gardening Is Perfect for New Gardeners

One of the greatest pleasures of gardening is watching a space come alive. But for many new gardeners, standing before the flat, open emptiness of a newly planted plot or the tight confines of a small courtyard - it can feel as though life takes an interminably long time to reveal itself. Plants are slow. Borders take years to settle. Trees take decades to stretch their limbs. And if you are just starting out, that waiting can seem like a test of character you never signed up for.

Vertical gardening, however, offers a gentle shortcut. It allows the impatient gardener to create a sense of maturity almost overnight, turning bare fences into greenery, stark paths into tunnels, and modest beds into layered, abundant scenes. It is one of the most forgiving techniques for beginners because, quite simply, growing upwards makes everything feel instantly richer.

When we draw the eye upwards, we expand the space. We give interest where there was none. And we invite plants—climbers, ramblers, twiners, and scramblers to do what they naturally excel at: reach for the light.

Why height matters

When you enter a well-designed garden, one of the first things you notice is structure. Height gives a garden its bones, its framework; it offers rhythm and perspective. New gardens, especially those planted into the sterile soil of a modern build, often lack this sense of enclosure. Everything sits at knee height. Every view feels exposed.

Vertical elements, arches, frames, obelisks, and tunnels solve that immediately. They lift your planting into the third dimension, providing both literal and visual support. A simple arch, clad with sweet peas or a young climbing rose, can create the feeling that something has already taken root and begun to flourish. Even if the rest of the garden is in its infancy, the impression of abundance is already there.

The wonderful thing about vertical structures is that they need not be large to make a big difference. A single obelisk in a small border brings instant purpose. It says, “Look here.” It anchors a space. And when it becomes covered in peas, runner beans, or a clematis that flowers like a cascade, that sense of intention becomes even stronger.

For anyone starting a new garden, this psychological lift is invaluable. It gives you something to celebrate while everything else finds its feet.

Arches: gateways into possibility

An arch is more than a support for plants: it is a gesture. It signals movement, an invitation to travel from one space into another. Even in the smallest garden, an arch suggests journey and depth.

A young garden can feel flat because the eye travels in a straight line from one boundary to the next. Place an arch across that line and you introduce a pause, a moment of anticipation. Plant a rose like Rosa ‘Mortimer Sackler’ on
one side and a viticella clematis on the other and within a season you’ll have
flowers tumbling at head height. It becomes something to walk through rather than past, and that change in perspective is transformative.

For beginners, arches are incredibly forgiving. They need only sturdy installation and two willing climbers, and nature handles the rest. Sweet peas will romp up an arch in a matter of weeks, filling the air with scent. Annual climbers like Ipomoea lobata or Cobaea scandens will cover it in adventurous exuberance. Even if your garden is brand new, an arch gives the illusion of maturity long before your shrubs have settled.

Tunnels: immersive, magical, surprisingly achievable

Garden tunnels look extravagant, the kind of thing you’d expect at one of the great gardens of the world. But in reality, they can be created simply, cheaply, and incredibly quickly. And the effect even with young planting is nothing short of magical.

A tunnel is immersive. It makes you part of the planting. In a small or bare garden, it creates instant drama without requiring established borders. Two or three metal hoops secured into the ground, dressed with twine or mesh, can create a tunnel for climbing beans or gourds. Within eight or ten weeks, the structure will be green, shading the path beneath it.

For a new gardener, few moments compare to the first time you walk beneath a tunnel you’ve grown yourself. There is something childlike in the sheer delight of it, as though the garden has suddenly decided to wrap itself around you.

Tunnels also help to disguise the rawness of a new plot. Instead of seeing the full expanse of the fence or the house behind it, your eye is taken into the foliage, through to whatever lies beyond. They turn a simple path into an experience.

Frames and supports: the quiet workhorses

While arches and tunnels take centre stage, frames, simple wooden or metal supports are the unsung heroes of vertical gardening. They are cheap, endlessly adaptable, and invaluable in a garden that is just finding its feet.

A frame lifted above a border creates instant height and provides opportunities for succession planting. Sweet peas can start in spring, clematis can follow in summer, and the delicate tendrils of a late annual can weave through at the end of the season. Even utilitarian crops, like climbing French beans or cucumbers, can be given pride of place, rising above the flowers and lending a sense of edible abundance.

In a new garden where the soil may be poor or the planting sparse, frames make things feel fuller. They draw attention upward and distract from the ground-level emptiness that most new gardeners face.

They also teach an important lesson: that support is often the key to success. Many beginners struggle not because the plants are wrong but because they haven’t been given something to climb, lean on, or wrap themselves around. A good frame turns a struggling clematis into one that thrives.

Obelisks: sculptures that happen to grow

If arches are gestures and tunnels are experiences, obelisks are punctuation marks. They sit in a border and say, “This is important.” In a new or small garden, that sense of emphasis is invaluable.

Obelisks work beautifully because they provide structure even in winter. They stand proud when everything else has died down. And because they taper, they create a sense of upward movement that feels elegant rather than bulky.

The beauty of an obelisk is that it doesn’t rely on established plants to look good. You can place one into freshly turned soil and it still feels intentional. Then, as the season progresses, you can encourage climbers up it—Lathyrus odoratus, Phaseolus coccineus, Clematis integrifolia, even the smaller rambling roses if you’re patient.

For new gardeners, an obelisk offers instant sophistication. It looks as though you’ve already begun designing in layers, even if the surrounding border has only just been planted.

Climbers: nature’s shortcut to fullness

Vertical gardening wouldn’t exist without climbers. They are, perhaps, the most generous family of plants you can grow. They cover ground quickly, flower abundantly, and offer height without the time investment of trees or tall shrubs.

For beginners, climbers are an ideal introduction because their needs are simple: good soil, regular watering, and reliable support. The rest is instinct.

Some of the best climbers for new gardeners include:

• Sweet peas - fast, fragrant, forgiving.
• Clematis viticella types – tolerant, long-flowering, resistant to wilt.
• Roses like ‘The Generous Gardener’ or ‘New Dawn’ – gentle, steady, wonderfully graceful.
• Annual climbers – morning glory, runner beans, nasturtiums, and cup-and-saucer vine.
• Hops – vigorous, architectural, spectacular in a single season.
• Passiflora caerulea – surprisingly tough, exotic-looking but easy-going.

These plants give you a sense of achievement early on, which is vital for keeping enthusiasm alive. One vigorous clematis in full summer can redeem a whole garden that otherwise looks newly planted.

Small gardens benefit most of all

It may seem counterintuitive, but the smaller the garden, the more important vertical gardening becomes. In a confined space, every centimetre of ground is precious. Growing upwards gives you more planting area without sacrificing space. A climber uses the vertical plane, essentially creating a second garden above the first.

Arches over paths, frames between beds, and obelisks rising from pots all contribute to a sense of richness. They help break up the geometry of tight boundaries and stop the eye from bouncing off the fences.

Vertical lines bring rhythm; diagonal lines bring movement; curved lines bring softness.

A small garden filled only with low planting feels impoverished no matter how beautifully it is arranged. Add height, however, and suddenly the whole space breathes.