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Keeping Perennials Upright?

20 years ago

Hello Friends,

I have a general question pertaining to my perennials. My perennial gardens (2 seperate large areas) get 10+ hours of sun and are grown in well intigrated soil. I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas as to HOW or WHY I can encourage them to better stand upright on their own.

I look through catalogs and the like and all of the plants look as though they are perfectly grown to stand "on their own two feet" one next to the other. My perennials are marvelous growers; healthy and I couldn't want for more blooms from most of them, but by mid-summer I am scrambling to find ways to discreetly (sometimes not so discreetly) find ways to keep them upright just as they begin there explosive bloom.

Some end up braking off at the crown or worse they topple onto other plants causing them harm. Others end up on the ground then turning up toward the sun as they continue to bloom.

In general, is there something in my approach that I may be doing to encourage this? (+/- Water, fertilizer, sun, etc.) In all there are nearly 500 different perennials in the two gardens, so specific plant info would be exhaustive! But if you might have any general ideas I would be very appreciative!

Kind Regards,

Mekales

Comments (6)

  • 20 years ago

    Those photographs you are looking at are probably of artfully staked plants...

    Staking plants is nobody's favorite garden chore. Maybe that's why so many of us wait until the poor plants are already bending and flopping before thinking of support, the trick is to stake before they need it and not after.

    Staking in spring means you will have a few weeks of visible, sometimes ugly stakes in your beds, but it will save many headaches throughout the rest of the growing season.
    Start with natural looking materials where you can, choices are branches, bamboo, metal and wooden stakes. Metal rings, biodegradable tying material

    Don't forget you can also control the height of some plants by pinching or cutting back the plants earlier in the season. This encourages them to grow more bushy and substantial and less tall.

    Twiggy, fanned out branches from your tree or shrub pruning can be used as natural supports for border plants -- pea staking. Stick the branch close by the perennial in the spring and it will grow through and cover the twiggy branch. Choose a twiggy branch that is about 6-8 inches shorter than the mature height of your perennial.
    Well done spring staking makes the garden look better throughout the season. It also makes maintenance easier, because you will not have to lift and move dropping plants off one another. You will probably discover plants you wished you had staked, as the season matures. Make notes for next year.

  • 20 years ago

    I had a garden store nearby that sold all kinds of plant supports, tomato trees, etc. When they were going out of business, why-oh-why didn't I buy more stakes? I am kicking myself. . . ouch, ouch,ouch.

  • 20 years ago

    There is a great book that tells you how you can prune your perennials to reduce the need for staking. I've used this on some of my plants both in zone 5 and zone 9, and it helps. "Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting & Pruning Techniques" by Tracy DiSabato-Aust

  • 20 years ago

    Without knowing what perennials you are growing, it's hard to discuss the problem, but I have huge perennial gardens and don't stake anything except Callirhoe digitata and trumpet lilies. Other plants include Agastaches, peonies (sever or eight different ones), malvas, parcancandas, nepetas (several species and cultivars), Lychnis coronaria, Achilleas (several species and cultivars), Eupatoriums, Persicaria polymorpha, Patrinia scabiosifolia, siberian iris, heleniums, asters, sedums (several of the taller types), perovskia, Baptisias (five different species and cultivars)--and that doesn't include the plants in the shade gardens or any of the lower growers.

  • 20 years ago

    hi
    I use those small tomato cages for this, and managed to find them all at no cost or 25cents a pc I even clipped them shorter they work great painted a color they might blend in better also. I used primer on them for a friends house and they blended right in.
    I also once posted adds that I wanted tomato cages and received over 50 for free.
    I also every time I plant a new rose or transplant a bush or a other plant always place a small cage around it it just saves a lot of staking and time later.
    I just got ten more from a g.s. for free last sat.
    also a simple way to keep things upright is by using a few stakes maybe in a line or a triangle and using thin wire
    tied tight . I keep stainless steel wire for just this type of stuff . by using a triangle around a flower bed you can then tie through the middle and get support I also use clothes pins to clip plants upright and zip ties.
    ok another one an oven rack or refrig. rack or pc of fence placed on 4 corners over a a cut back or freshly planted perrinial bed will hold all of them up and not look "trashy" .
    your garden sounds beautiful . Rick

  • 20 years ago

    I came across an idea last year that worked wonderfully. I painted the cages black, then turned the cages upside down and squeezed the ends together. With pliers, I bent each leg into a C shape. I used colored marbles wired with copper wiring to hang on each leg. I did this with small and larger cages.