Some perennials need support to prevent them from flopping on their neighbors, opening in the center, or snapping from wind or heavy flowers. Properly staked perennials are neater in appearance, but do not reveal the equipment used. Timing and selection of the proper support material is important.
Proper staking requires time, patience, and practice. Early efforts often result in a stiff military or a crammed appearance. With practice, a desirable final product emerges. Staking allows the natural form of the plant to come through without showing everyone its hidden flaws.
Grids | Cages & Rings | Single Staking | How to Avoid Staking | More Information
Grids
Metal Grids
Metal grids are excellent choices for large, floppy plants such as peonies. The 3-inch mesh grids in a circular frame are available in several sizes. Grids should be installed early in the growing season when plants are just a few inches tall. The grid is nearly invisible when the plant is fully leafed out. Many are made of plastic-coated steel and last for many years.
Chicken Wire
Chicken wire is an excellent staking tool for the garden. It works well for thin-stemmed plants, such as asters, whose foliage is not dense enough to hide a metal grid. When the plant is young, encircle it with a cylinder of chicken wire. It should be slightly narrower than the plant's mature width and lower than its full-grown height. Stabilize the wire by weaving 2 or 3 rebar or bamboo stakes through the openings and securing them in the ground. New growth will thread its way through the mesh and cover the wire. Plants retain their natural profile without flopping on their neighbors.
Branches and Twigs
An artistic gridwork of multi-stemmed branches can also serve as support. An advantage to using an inter-woven gridwork of twigs and branches is that it is composed of natural materials and could be composted with the rest of the foliage at the end of the season. These supports can be time-consuming to build but can easily take on an artistic flare, adding interest to the perennial border. As with the other options, these structures should be put in place early in the growing season so the perennial can grow up and through it, disguising the supports.
Cat's Cradle
A cat's cradle support can be constructed using some stakes and string. In spring, four to six bamboo stakes or rebar can be placed around an emerging perennial. String, twine, jute, or other materials are woven around the stakes several inches above the perennial to create a gridwork of twine. The structure will be covered up when the perennials grow through it. A cat's cradle can be made of any size and shape but can be time-consuming to build. While monofilament string (fishing line) could be used (and would disappear in the garden), this plastic product can be hard to collect at the end of the growing season and can easily cut or damage stems as they rub against it. Use natural-colored twine or string (green, brown, etc.) to mask the structure.
Cages and Rings
Peony Rings
Peony hoops, rings, or grow through supports are circles or rings of wire divided into (usually two) sections. Each has three legs. They are most effective when placed over the plant early in the spring as the leaves begin to unfurl. Set the hoop about half the height of the mature plant or slightly lower. This allows the plant to assume its natural spreading shape without going too far. Varieties with heavy flowers may need additional support to prevent them from breaking.
Tomato Cages
The classic tomato cage can also be used for perennials in much the same way as in the vegetable garden. Place the cage over the emerging perennial in spring and allow it to grow up and through it. You may have to tuck a wayward stem here or there. Tomato cages are well-suited for taller, narrower growing plants.
Linking Stakes
Linking stakes are L-shaped, with a loop at the top of the upright and a hook at the end of the arm. These hook together to make irregular-shaped configurations by inserting the hook of one into the loop of an adjacent stake. Linking stakes are used when plants are already past the point of using other staking methods. When installing the linking stakes, use enough to prevent the plant from looking like it was crammed into a cage.
Tuteurs and Obelisks
Tuteurs are tall, upright, freestanding, pyramid-shaped structures placed in the garden for perennials to ramble, climb, or lean on. Most are quite decorative in nature and double as garden art. They can be made from various materials, but wood and metal are common. Obelisks resemble Tuteurs but tend to be upright and not pyramid-shaped. As with most staking options, these structures are placed in the garden early and the perennial is trained up and through them. Unlike other staking materials these structures are not intended to disappear or to be completely covered up. They are a functional form of garden décor.
Staking
Single stakes are best for mature plants. They are useful for supporting lilies, delphiniums, and other vertical plants with few side branches.
Stake single stems when the plant has almost attained its full height but before the flower buds open. At this time, stems have taken on their natural angle, which should remain even after staking. If plants are in a windy location, stake earlier in the growing season. When driving the stake into the ground, be careful not to damage bulbs or root systems. Allow enough room between the stake and the root system. Ideally, the stake is placed behind the plant to help camouflage it.
Materials to Use as Stakes
Stakes made of plastic or plastic-coated steel are available in various heights and colors. They often look like simulated bamboo with raised horizontal rings or with small projections along the stake. These projections prevent the twine from slipping.
Sturdy bamboo stakes can also be used and are a natural color and material.
Rebar is an inexpensive and sturdy stake. This material comes in a wide range of lengths and is used primarily to reinforce concrete and can also be repurposed as a stake. They are strong, reusable, and have ridges along them that keep twine and string from slipping. The rusty color also easily blends into the landscape, making them less obtrusive.
Tying Materials
Materials used for tying should be soft and flexible. Strips of cotton fabric, jute, or twine are good options. Do not tie the stems too close and tight or the stem will be damaged. But it should be loose enough to keep the stem in line with the stake. Tie the material in a loose figure 8, with the stake in one loop and the stem in the other. This ensures the stem does not come in direct contact with the stake. When working with extremely tall stems, tie the plant to the stake in multiple places. The uppermost tie should be well below the flowers.
Pea Stakes
Pea stakes are forked branches or stems placed in the ground next to the plant and help prop it up. They are more rustic and natural in appearance and can be composted along with the rest of the plant material at the end of the season. Pea stakes are well suited for shorter perennials (under 24 inches) that need a boost.
Spiral Stakes
Stakes shaped as a loose coil can be placed next to a tall stem and gently weaved inside the spiral to help hold it up. As with other staking materials, the earlier you put it in place. The easier it is to get the plant inside the coil with out breaking the stem. Be sure to insert it into the ground in a location that will not damage underground roots or bulbs.
How to Avoid Staking
The staking process is a reaction to a problem that can be mitigated with good gardening practices. Some plants, like peonies, just have flowers that are too big and heavy for their own good. For these plants, it can be difficult to avoid providing a bit of support. However, other perennials can be grown in a way that avoids the use of stakes eliminating the ugly structures from the garden and giving you more time to work on other projects in the garden.
Provide More Light
Plants grown in too much shade for their liking typically grow lankier and taller. These taller plants are more prone to flopping. Plant full sun perennials in areas that receive at least six hours of direct sunlight a day.
Don't Over Fertilize
Too much fertilizer causes lanky growth that more easily topples over, especially when blooms form at the top. Get a soil test to determine how much fertilizer may be needed. Use an all-purpose fertilizer with relatively low numbers in the fertilizer analysis to avoid promoting too much green growth. Perennial gardens don't need much fertilizer to thrive. Learn more about fertilizing in this article: Fertilizing in the Home Garden.
Give Them Space
When overcrowded, perennials are forced to grow upward, reaching for more light and room to spread out. This upright growth is more prone to flopping over. Understand the mature size of your perennials and give them the space they need.
Don't Over Water
Providing too much water can promote a lot of growth and shallow root systems. This makes plants more prone to toppling. The succulent growth from growing with abundant water is more likely to bend or snap. Water infrequently and deeply to promote hardier growth. Learn more in this article: Watering Tips for the Garden, Lawn, and Landscape.
Avoid Windy Locations
Areas known to be exposed to prevailing wind or channel wind creating a wind tunnel are not the place for tall perennials or those prone to flopping over. These areas are best planted with shorter perennials with basal leaves or sturdy stems. Place the tall plants in areas protected by prevailing winds, such as on the east or north side of a building.
Pinching
Some perennials benefit from pinching early in the growing season. By removing the top inch or so of the stems early in the growing season, it forces plants to branch making them bushier and less likely to flop. The resulting plants typically have more flowers (although smaller in size) and are wider, more compact growth habit.
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