I once saw an old umbrella stand stripped down to the beautiful basket underneath which made me realize if we use all the metal baskets that are out there now the garden won't look so empty all winter. They work beautifully too!! I picked up two super cheap one at GW and the other at Gordman's marked down.

What a great idea! I have a guara that wants to flop too and this would be cute!

My original plan was to spray paint it with that hammered bronze spray paint. But I waited too long and yesterday I had to put it over the peony before it got any further out of the ground. I may do that after the season is over.

That is a great idea. I might just give it a try. I think I have some lamp shade frames I can use.

I've never grown peonies, but I thought they got like 6 feet tall. Are they only floppy when little?

They reach maybe three feet tall and get more and more floppy as their heavy blooms unfurl.

Six feet tall? Wow those would be some wild peonies! Mine get to be about 3 feet tall and they have a tendency to flop over because the weight of their pom-pom like blooms exceeds the strength of their stems. I think that's why everyone cuts them for bouquets!

I think mine get three foot tall. And yes the blooms really do droop over. They are so heavy. I love bringing flowers into the house. The peonies smell so good. Iris also smell good.

I love that idea. I have some old lampshades and will borrow your idea for my Iris that tend to fall over when in full bloom.

thanks for clearing up my misconceptions about their height! Maybe someday I'll live somewhere they grow.

steiconi, I think most of us would love to live where you live and grow all those beautiful tropicals!

Great idea. I am going to paint mine green so they blend in with the plant. TY For the idea.

I would give up Peony to live in Hawaii. I have vacationed on your island it is paradise. I have to struggle to grow the tropical plants you grow outside year round.

I would like to live where there is shopping and DSL.

Takes all kinds! :-}

Did you ever see that movie, The Holiday, where the two women switch homes for Christmas? That's what we should do! I have shopping and cable internet even better than DSL!

OK, I'll be there next week. There's no snow this time of year, right?...right?

Oh for sure I have to visit more often, this is a great idea but now that it is May, my peonies are too large, but there is always next year. In the meantime, I will be here a lot more, like in the old days.

Everything is late this year. Lilacs are just starting to expand their buds.

steiconi you can come here too. my snow has been gone a couple of months. I also have fiber to the home wifi internet and a great guest room.

Every year I want to plant a peony bush and every year I put it off. I will have to keep this lampshade "skeleton" in the back of my mind as a support if I ever get around to planting one! Love the look and smell of peonies but not the ants!

I am not a fan of the ants either. With out them the buds will not open.

You just have to shake the flowers well before bringing them inside. At least around here it is the big black ants that hang out on the peonies so they are easy to see.

I like your lamp shade idea. I will have to look for some. I've picked up two of these '3 tiered dish stands' while thrift shopping. I paid 2 dollars each I think. When the peony has died back and been trimmed back I add a deep plate and use as a bird feeder or bird bath.

Jensyen, that's a cute idea and at a bargain price. I got some larger lampshade frames for my aster. Those seem to want to flop too.

I have peonies that were here when we bought the home in 1998. Just about every year I dig some up and transplant them or a friend will come and dig some up. There are some years that they do not bloom, but leave them alone for a year or 2 and they are back in full bloom. Absolutely beautiful and they keep coming back. Now these are not in a flower bed...they are just in the middle of the yard.

They make me happy.

I have been collecting metal framed baskets for a few years now for peonie support.. Years ago someone showed the peonie bush supported by a basket and I was hooked.

arcy_gw, I would love to see some pictures of the baskets you are using.

I got this yesterday at my cheapest thrift store for $1.50, to support morning glory seedling vines. But, what "was" it? Was there more to it? 32" x 20" welded metal with plastic pineapple at top.. If it held 2 glass shelves across, for instance, they would have only been 2-1/4" wide. The shape and size of the "holders" seem wrong for holding standard flower pots, wine bottles, rolled towels, toilet paper...!

I can't get the side-view photo to transfer here. Looked at from that angle, it's easier to see how the 8 curved ends are upward arcs, like 1/2 of a rainbow.

I'm thinking it's to display plates.

Posierosie, you're so right! Funny thing was that on April 28 I went to a community theater play and the stage set had one similar on a wall with plates.

Mine is currently supporting morning glories and zinnias. I taped 2 pvc pipes to them drove them into the ground, so the pipes don't show.

Great way to repurpose, irma! Plant supports are always on my mind!

They could be taller.

Beautiful plants, arcy! Your 2nd photo show so well the difference that support can make.

Thank you. I do wish as the plant comes out of the ground it would end up between the rows and slats..to spread it out a bit. What you can't see is I have a wire around the plants "tied" to the chicken wire garden fencing too, higher than the baskets. The baskets need to be a good half foot taller than the tallest to really support as much as they need. Tomato cages could get you that height--but they aren't as fun.

The lampshade idea is interesting, since I have been mulling over using giant thrift store lamp bases as pedestals in the garden--now I would have a garden use for the shade, too!

violet, I hope to see photos when you achieve this! I've not worked with a large lamp base, but I've done a couple of small thrift store re-works. I'll start a new thread for it.