Many of our favorite perennials can become unruly occupants of our gardens. Some will sprawl, engulfing more subdued plants while others may fall flat on their face at the lightest breeze or dew.
Don’t eliminate the problem plants from your yard or design. Instead let’s discuss methods for proper staking.
First a few general rules:• Proper staking must be done long before the plants need it. Plan ahead and learn the plant’s specific growth habits. Usually this means early spring.
• Proper staking should be almost invisible – a far cry from my grandfather who staked his prize bearded iris with wooden stakes and strips of old bed sheets.
• Proper staking must also be sturdy enough to support the weight of the plant not only in good weather, but also when laden with rain and tossed about by high winds.
• Proper staking should keep the plants looking natural while still supporting them. Remember that few perennials grow straight up or rigidly like soldiers at attention.
Methods of staking:• Pea-stakes: A funny name but a very cost effective way to support perennials with a floppy, spreading habit. Pea stakes are no more than pieces of twiggy branches from trees, such as birch, pushed into the ground around the perimeter of the perennial. The plant will grow around and through the branches invisibly supporting the plant.
• Single stakes: This is effective for plants that produce only a few but large flowering stems. Plants such as bearded iris, lily and delphinium come readily to mind. Use soft jute twine or plastic coated wire. Wrap the twine around the stake and then cross the twine creating a figure eight between the stake and the stem. Make sure stakes are driven deeply into the ground for proper support and are not driven through the main root system of the plant.
• Grow through supports: These can be purchased (at Vande Hey’s) or man-made. To create your own, place four or five short stakes around the plant perimeter and then tie jute twine running from one stake to another creating a woven pattern for the plant to grow up and through. Purchased supports will be plastic coated and give the appearance of a waffle. Various diameter sized supports and leg heights are available. This works well on dense, leafy plants such as peony, bee balm and most daisies.
