Maintaining
Staking and tying in tall plants
Bare cane ends at eye height can cause serious eye injuries when you bend down over a border. Always fit cane toppers or upturned pots, and take extra care around children.
- Where to get help
- NHS 111, or your GP.
Tall herbaceous plants such as delphiniums, dahlias and peonies snap or splay in wind and heavy rain once they are in full leaf and flower. Support put in early is hidden by growth and holds the plant up naturally, whereas support added after a collapse looks trussed and often damages stems.
When
Put supports in place in mid to late spring (April to May) as growth reaches ankle to knee height, well before plants flop. Stake newly planted top-heavy plants at planting time.
How
1. Choose a support taller and stronger than you think you need, then sink it well into firm soil. 2. Push canes, link stakes, a grow-through grid or twiggy pea sticks in around the clump while it is still small. 3. Let stems grow up through the support so foliage hides it. 4. Tie stems loosely to canes with soft twine in a figure of eight, so the tie cushions the stem rather than cutting into it. 5. Check and loosen ties as stems thicken through summer. 6. Cap any bare cane tops with cane toppers or upturned pots.
Notes
Match the support to the plant: pea sticks for airy perennials, a single stake for one heavy stem, a grid for clumps. Figure-of-eight ties stop stems chafing. Renew soft twine each year and reuse hazel and bamboo if stored dry.