Blue glory bower (Clerodendrum ugandense) freezes to the ground in winter here, but its sapphire-blue flowers are a rare color in North Texas gardens.

Establishing standards can be challenging when raising children but fairly easy when raising plants.

Standards are shrubs trained to grow as small trees. A standard's foliage and flowers are restricted to the top of a long, straight and bare stalk.

A number of woody bushes can be shaped into these so-called patio trees. In fact, part of the fun in creating standards is finding which plants look good as little trees.

Fashioning a standard is much easier than maintaining a bonsai or even a topiary. For gardeners without the time or interest in personally designing their own, established patio trees are available at local nurseries and big box stores. But expect to pay a premium for the extra attention already spent on these plants and the extra time it takes to bring them to market.

Standards have become popular as land prices have risen and the size of new-home landscapes has diminished. Specimens offer striking focal points for courtyards, decks, patios and balconies. They can transform an ordinary doorway, corner of a deck or patio seating area into a focal point.

Duranta 'Sweet Memory'

Cultivating standards is largely an exercise in strategic pruning. Start with a young plant with a straight stem. Once the plant is established in the ground or a planter, every stem except the straight stalk is snipped off as close as possible to the roots.

Then a sturdy 4- to 6-foot stake is inserted very close to the remaining "leader" stem. At about 2-inch intervals the leader is securely fastened to the stake with plastic or cloth ribbons tied like a shoelace. Fastened loosely to allow for trunk thickening, these ties keep the plant growing straight.

As the plant grows taller, lower branches and most of the lower leaves are removed until the standard has reached a desired height. This is usually between 3 to 5 feet, depending on the plant's potential, the stake's length and the gardener's wishes.

The next step determines the maximum height of a patio tree. The uppermost node is cut off. This is the node where the topmost leaves have formed. No longer able to grow any higher and also prevented from leafing below, the leader will branch out from the four remaining top nodes.

As the upper portion of the plant begins to fill in, the foliage crown is trimmed lightly for fullness and roundness. Snipped tips encourage more branching, but each branch should be allowed to develop several inter-nodal segments before it is pruned.

'Santa Cruz' blue hibiscus (Alyogyne huegelii)

Periodically the plant should be retied to the stake to accommodate trunk growth. Maintaining a standard also requires removing any volunteer shoots at the base and all leaves or branches resprouting below the crown.

Managing the crown's foliage is a little more demanding. To retain the crown's shape, frequent and light pinching back is necessary. The hedge sheers should be left in the shed because hard pruning, which prevents flowering and fosters long shoots, ruins a crown's beauty.

The patio tree's look also requires some attention to proportion. The general rule for standards holds that the width of its top foliage ball should measure one-third of its trunk's length. For example, a 3-foot patio tree should sport a 1-foot-wide crown. But the rule is flexible, depending on the plant. In some cases, such as the 'Grande' firebush ( Hamelia patens), a larger top does not create an eyesore.

Since patio trees are top-heavy and fairly delicate, they are easily tumbled and damaged by wind and animals. Choose large, sturdy planters, and invest in attractive containers that will help establish a focal point. Potted plants tend to dry out rapidly from sun, heat and wind. The vigor, appearance and flowering of standards benefit from regular watering in locations with afternoon shade.

Photos by BILL SCHEICK/Special Contributor

A mutation of the popular 'Iceberg' floribunda rose has tinted its white petals sweetly pink. 'Brilliant Pink Iceberg' shares its forebear's easy care and prolific bloom.

Winter is another consideration. In-ground standards can be protected by mulching roots and wrapping trunks with pipe insulation. A trash can, turned upside-down and covered with a large blanket, helps.

Potted patio trees, especially tropicals, are particularly vulnerable to winter temperatures. Their roots are less insulated than in-ground plants. A dolly facilitates moving them indoors.

The fact that potted standards are less hardy than those in the ground should be considered when thinking about which selections to purchase. In fact, even in-ground patio trees are generally less hardy than their shrubby forms. So, to hedge your bet with in-ground choices, select zone 6 plants for zone 7 (Denton and Collin counties) and zone 7 plants for zone 8 (Dallas County).

Cape mallow (Anisodontea x hypomandarum)

Some suitable and easy-to-grow North Texas choices include rosemary, rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus), camellia japonica and roses, such as the 'Iceberg' series. Butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii) is available in at least two standards: 'Black Knight' with wine-hued flowers and 'Harlequin' with variegated leaves.

Riskier in-ground selections for North Texas range from Nerium oleander and bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus) to Euryops pectinatus 'Viridis'. Each is beautiful but may be injured by prolonged freezes.

The demand for patio trees has led to recent introductions, such as 'Inca Sun' brugmansia, blue glory bower (Clerodendrum ugandense), honeysuckle fuchsia (Fuchsia triphylla), golden dewdrop ( Duranta erecta) and 'Grande' firebush (Hamelia patens). Harder to find and to train as standards, but well worth the effort, are blue hibiscus (Alyogyne huegelii) from Australia and cape mallow ( Anisodontea hypomandarum) from South Africa.

Bill Scheick is a garden writer and professor of American literature at the University of Texas at Austin.

Brumley Gardens, 10540 Church Road

Calloway's

Home Depot

Lantana Gardens, 3229 E. FM 407, Bartonville

Lowe's

Nicholson-Hardie, 5060 W. Lovers Lane

North Haven Gardens, 7700 North Haven Road

Petal Pushers Garden Emporium, 813 Straus Road, Cedar Hill

Walton's, 8652 Garland Road, Dallas

Bill Scheick is a garden writer and professor of American literature at the University of Texas at Austin.