Staking Plants - Or Maybe Not.

There’s nothing quite like a strong summer wind to highlight the topic of staking plants.  After weeks of mild breezes and strong growth it doesn’t take much to flatten summer annuals, perennials and even some shrubs. Vegetable plants aren’t immune either. Peas, beans and event broccoli might need a bit of support.

There are ways we can grow tall summer plants without staking and I’ll come to that later. Before that let’s assume you don’t have the perfect conditions to grow tall vegetables, annuals and perennials without them falling over. Generally it’s easier to get plant supports in place when they are young and don’t really need them. This will save disturbing the plants and roots later. For example I put a bamboo cage around my broad beans as I planted the seeds as I knew the plants would need it later. There are other reasons apart from height why plants need support. Brittle stems, falling under their own weight, drooping plants can damage lawns as they cut out the light and sometimes plants get leggy from overfeeding or not enough light.

Emergency staking is usually needed though as I found out this week when my annual lavatera ( also known as three month mallow) collapsed after a few summer gusts of wind.  I was going to leave them lying over the annual pots and grass but they looked too messy so I tied them to the fence with some string. They seem happy and I can get on with cutting the grass.

Some points to consider when staking

When choosing the most suitable support, you need to match it to the vigour of the plant.

Don't tie in plants too rigidly; they should be able to move in the wind. Use soft jute in a figure of eight to avoid rubbing.

Single ring supports can be used to support stems of plans with large single blooms such oriental poppies and foxgloves.

Bushy clump-forming perennials such as aster bellflower and phlox grow well through netting or grow-through circular grid support frames.

Top-heavy plants such as herbaceous peony and dahlias are also well-suited to grow through circular grid supports or use Y-stake supports.

Pea-sticks are useful for both short front-of-the-border plants like penstemon, yarrow and flax.

Using border restrains is practical way to keep the front of the border neat and prevent flopping plants damaging the lawn.

No Staking – Maybe

There are other tactics to keep plants looking good and standing tall. Things like soil, spacing, light, water, and pruning practices not only influence a plant’s leaf and flower production but also have an impact on its overall stature. By being mindful of how these elements play a role in the plants growth and size you could have a nearly stake-free garden.  

Choose the right spot and soil for the plants. Clumping plants together like you would with broad beans and sweetcorn can be useful, but the outside of the clump will still need staking. Other plants won’t like being in such close proximity to one another and can get leggy or a fungal disease because of lack of air flow. Get to know your plants’ mature size at planting time and space them accordingly.

Check out the plants location to see if the light and shade are to their liking. You will see seedlings get very leggy on a shaded windowsill and the habit will continue to maturity if not corrected.

Don’t forget to consider one of the most overlooked conditions in the garden: wind. This invisible force can wreak havoc on perennials, leaving them as flat as a pancake. Avoid placing garden beds in the path of a wind alley.

Regular watering is important too and that goes for container grown plants. The wind will dry the plants out really quickly even if there is no sun which could lead to stress and weakening of the stems.

One of the key things for me though to keep tall plants from falling over is to give them a seasonal pruning.  Late bloomers and historically floppy plants like asters benefit from a clipping.  Snip plants back by a third to a half in early summer for a shorter and bushier habit that will have little impact on the bloom. It’s also not a bad idea to stay on top of deadheading. This practice not only encourages more blooms but also promotes bushy growth; removes heavy, spent flowers; and redirects the plant’s energy back to healthy growth rather than to seed production.

I won’t stop staking plants though as creating flamboyant bamboo structures in the garden is one of my highlights of the spring and the first real opportunity I have to reintroduce myself to the dormant garden after winter.