How in the world do I staking taller plants?

I know that this is always easier to do before the plants beging to get floppy, but I didn't know that Black eye susans grew so large. I am now finding that the plants directly in front of them are being smothered to death.

I am trying to determine the best way to fix this problem before it worsens. Can I stake a group of flowers or should I do it individually? Also, are there any rings out that there can be used for sizeable flowers? I know that there are rings that you can put on the flowers when they are still fairly small. What are the better staking materials? I have never had to stake flowers before.

You can't see it in this picture, but trust me, there is actually a barberry bush between the black eye susans and the lavender. The bush has been completely overwhelmed. I need to help this poor bush!

I use a section of fencing to keep floppy plants from their neighbors .

I use to have a fence row , now it is in pieces here and there. this one protects the path.

In some cases it is almost invisible.

Gardengus, that's a great idea! It looks really good in your garden.

Sigh. I wish that I had double checked the thread title one more time before hitting the send button. Unfortunately, there is no way to edit the title.

gardengus-- could you tell me what the plant in the last photo is? The one with the blue flowers....is it 'walker's low'?


thanks. t.

It is a catmint and I thought it was walkers low , but I have had it for several years now , and have begun to wonder because I have seen walkers low other places and mine seems to be taller. It is about ready for cutting back . The second bloom is shorter.

I've used an old lamp shade (think thrift shops) with all fabric removed and earth staples (Wal Mart) to hold it down and allow the Baptisia to stand upright without tons of wooden stakes and yards of string.

It's totally hidden when the plant is in full bloom.

I have staked individual plants with wood or rebar stakes(like in the back row of this photo) or peony rings for smaller floppy ones. For controlling large floppy mass plantings I have never dealt with them. Don't be afraid to pull out some of the BES to create space - you'll still have plenty.

http://hcs.osu.edu/mgonline/Herbaceous/per03/08per03t.htm

Longwood Gardens uses the stake and twine method on that link. It's almost invisible, but it works better before the plants are tall. You might still be able to do it though.

First, I think that's a great photo, pennefeather- even if you have to feel sad for the poor barberry bush. I just dealt with a similar problem with some ferns falling too far over and killing a nice heuchera. At one garden store, (and one only), I found something in the section where you find the stakes and dahlia/peony support rings. It's a wire support with two thin stakes on either side and then a semi circle that is parallel to the ground that holds the foliage back. ...It's all one piece of rigid green wire, and they seemed to come in various heights...some of which looked fairly tall to me. Don't know why I have only seen them available in one place...it works great and was very inexpensive.

This message was edited Jun 30, 2007 9:54 PM

All of you guys have some great ideas.

Pirl, I love the idea of reusing a lampshade - very ingenious!

Al, I can't even see the staking in your photo- good job. I think that I may take your advice and thin the black eye susans out a bit. It is always hard the first time that you grow a new plant, because you don't really know what to expect. All of these plants have become much larger than I anticipated. I think that you are right in saying that I wont even notice the missing ones.

If I remove the first few plants directly in front of the barberry bush, I am think that I am going to try to use a hedge fence to keep them off the bush. That will be alot easier than staking them individually, and unfortunately, they are too large now to put into a ring. I have some more that are crowding out a rose bush as well. I may be able to transplant them to another part of the garden instead.

I love that link that shows the 'pea stakes' and the stake and twine method. I had forgotten about the pea stakes and they are so cute in a cottage garden....

yes, gardengus, I have a 'walker's low' that is floppy too (not enough sun and too much fert.?) and was wondering if I should whack it off or try to stake it. Mine does not look much like those I see in the catalogs...

I will have to go down to the basement and check out my old lampshades for recycle staking potential!

BTW, penne, I love your sunny border even without the barberry much in evidence. Watch out or that will be the one to take over the border--mine did, and then I found out that it's considered an 'invasive' too. Who knew?

http://www.invasive.org/eastern/eppc/barberry.html

Now I have to go out and restake my plants so they look more elegant.

Another idea is one I just saw at a friend's place. She pounds in rebar stakes, and then places vinyl fencing between them... so it's like a grid, elevated at whatever height she wants. Works wonderful, especially for cutting gardens, etc.

Maybe you've already rectified the situation, pennefeather, but in case you haven't yet, here's a pic I took at Longwood Gardens on a garden tour bus trip in 2004. I thought it was a great and simple staking method. The stakes were crossed in to form an 'X'.

Sandy

Another suggestion I saw on a different forum was to use a free standing decorative fireplace screen. It looked lovely with the flowers behind it and more planted in front. I am looking for a used screen as we speak... : ))

I am going to go out and get some decorative fencing! I love that idea.

I have walkers low too and it gets pretty big - some places selling it say it only gets about 10" but that is wrong (it was named after the place 'Walkers Low', not because it's low growing). It grows to about 2 feet.

here's a good description
http://www.highcountrygardens.com/catalog/product/71292/

We had a lot of rain and cool temperatures this year and mine grew to about 2 1/2 feet. I finally got tired of it's floppiness after it grew so much and cut it back. It's regrowing and looks good. It looks better if it doesn't get as much water. So I say cut it back. It will look terrible at first but then it starts growing from the center and looks better.

You guys rock! What great suggestions you have come up with. Naturally, I have delayed and delayed, and not done anything yet. I love the idea of the simple X with the stakes. Its easy, cheap, and it looks good.

If only I had know this when I planted the seeds!

grasses are nature's staking in the tall grass prairie. may not help much