I'm new to DG and originally put this in the wrong spot...
My Filipendula grows and grows and grows... I have it on the top of a roadside berm, and it really stops traffic when in bloom. It is in very rich soil and is kept evenly moist. The problems are: (1) that it spreads very fast each season, resulting in a crowding situation and (2) that in a rainstorm or under very windy situations (we live on the coast), it can really flatten.
Despite the above, I can honesly say that it is a wonderful plant, which is magnificent when blooming. It is fun to watch it prior to bloom.
Does anybody have a good staking method I can use? It is difficult to get at due to the spreading and the fact that it is on top of the berm (not too high). And can anybody tell me the correct way to keep the plants under bounds. Thanks!
Filipendula rubra
gardeninglady--I am by no means an expert with this plant. I have only one and it is behaving itself so far. The hotter and sunnier it is the more upright it seems to stay.
I did have trouble a few years ago with some yarrow and nepeta. They had spread far and wide and were on the ground most of the time...wind, rain etc.. They were too large and out of control, but flowering beautifully. I had my husband cut down some metal fencing (cheap kind you see people put together for pens for small animals like dogs) to a shorter height, maybe 30 inches. It contected in 3 foot sections and I held up the plantss while my husband reigned them into the coral. They looked silly for about a week and then they filled in and out and looked great.
I now shear them back in late Spring to keep their height a little shorter. They tend not to sprawl. I divide them in the Fall when they just get too big. My fellow gardeners love the free plants.
My filipendula is next to the nepeta 'Six Hills Giant' and maybe that is why it is behaving...afraid I may cage it like the nepeta once was.
I hope this helps.
Rose
It has been this long since I first peeked at your message. Thanks for the idea which I will tweak just a little. Our 100% humidity and heavy rains certainly did not help the Filipendula. But as I have the Nepeta (not Six Hills Giant anymore) which needs to be kept in bounds, I will work on the fencing next year, probably using some of that low green garden stuff which comes in various lengths and heights. My extra good soil makes that stuff grow like nothing I have ever seen. Thanks!