Many plants benefit from being supported — an obvious statement when you think about clematis and young trees — however, there are many more techniques and products that can help you train, shape and control your plants, to ensure they look their best. In this article, I’ll share a number of practical tips and tricks that I employ to keep my plants under control and my garden looking great all year round.
1 Steel Rebar Stakes for standard and half-standard shrubs
Standard or half-standard shrubs can be, highly ornamental and very tempting when you see them in the garden centre. They usually consist of a long straight central stem, with an ornamental shrub grafted on the top. Such offerings include standard roses, Ceanothus, Korean lilacs, lavender, rosemary, dwarf willows and even gooseberries. All of them make great formal statements in the garden, flanking paths, gates and doorways. As wonderful (and expensive) as they are, though, such plants will only be long-lasting if given suitable support.
In the nursery, standard shrubs are created by grafting a normal shrub on top of a compatible clear stem, which is typically a closely related species. Unfortunately, these stems often need staking for life, as they often lack sufficient strength to support the crown as it grows, and are especially vulnerable to strong winds.
At the point of purchase, such standards are usually supported by bamboo canes, but these rarely last more than a couple of years before giving out, so it is better to replace them with something more sturdy from the start. Timber stakes, (especially treated softwood) seem like the ideal choice as they are widely available. Unfortunately, they too usually rot in a few short years, and often look too chunky compared to the slender stem of many standard shrubs. The problem is, that when canes or timber supports fail, the shrub they are supposed to be supporting can easily get damaged as the unsupported stem buckles under the weight of the crown. You can see the sorry sight of my early gooseberry when a storm took it out one night in the gallery above.
Another point to consider, is that It is much more difficult to replace supports once the top growth has grown. For all these reasons, it is prudent to give standard shrubs strong, long-lasting supports from the day you plant them.
After trying various unsatisfactory timber supports, the solution I finally settled on, was to use steel reinforcement bars. ‘Rebar’ is normally placed in poured concrete structures to strengthen them. It is made of solid steel, which in the garden quickly takes on an attractive patina of surface rust but will take decades to rust right through and fail.
Available in 10mm, 12mm, 16mm and 20mm diameters, for a given diameter, they are many times stronger than timber stakes. I replaced a 45mm diameter round posts (which snapped after a few years) with 10mm rebar, which has held fast with zero issues for over seven years. Another benefit of rebar is it is flexible, allowing the standard shrub it is supporting to sway in the wind without breaking. Rebar can be purchased relatively cheaply from many builder’s merchant. A hacksaw can be used to cut it to the required length, although some builder’s merchants will cut it for you. When specifying length, remember you want a good 45cm (18in) excess to hammer into the ground.
One downside of steel rebar as a plant support is that its slim profile can make it prone to side-to-side movement in the soil. To minimise this possibility, ensure it is hammered deep into the sub-soil. Attach the rebar to the stem with at least two rubber tree ties: one near the top of the stem and one halfway down or lower. Tied like this, the rebar will act as a splint and prevent the stem buckling.
2 Upturned Hanging Baskets for supporting perennials
Cheap wire hanging baskets can be put to good use as plant supports.
Placed upside down over the crown of a perennial in winter or early spring, the stems will grow up through the wire-mesh, helping support them and reducing the chance the stems will flop. The bigger the final plant, the larger the hanging basket you should use. 12-14in (30-35cm) baskets are suitable for plants growing between 1-1.5ft (30-45cm), while 16-18in (40-45cm) baskets can support larger plants up to 2’6 (75cm).
I have used this method with Asters, Sedums and Salvias but many other perennials are worth a try, especially ones that tend to splay outwards from the centre, or flop every time it rains. As you can see in the gallery above, the upturned hanging basket can be a boon when growing perennials in pots too.
Another benefit of having an upturned hanging basket inside a perennial clump is when it comes to the ‘Chelsea Chop’. In early to mid-May, many perennials can be cut back by up to 50% to make them grow shorter and denser. This also makes them flower a little later, but with more, but smaller flowers. This is especially helpful for perennials that tend to get too tall and leggy. The hanging basket can act as a guide when cutting back, producing a neat all-over trim. When my salvias finish flowering in July, I like to cut them back, as it makes them re-flower in late summer. Again, I use their internal basket as a cutting guide.
Perennials suitable for the Chelsea Chop
Cota tinctoria (formerly Anthemis)
Echinacea purpurea
Helenium
Phlox paniculata
Hylotelephium (formerly Sedum: tall varieties)
Solidago
3 Dwarf Chestnut Hurdles ornamental and long-lasting
Chestnut is one of our most durable natively-grown coppice timbers, and when peeled and split was traditionally used to construct 4ft high sheep hurdles for quickly creating sheep pens. Dwarf versions were once popular for edging garden beds, and are still made if you can find a coppice wood crafters. In the garden, they have a rustic charm and are extremely useful for supporting plants and edging beds and borders.
These little timber structures have posts on each end that can be hammered into the ground. I find them so useful for holding back plants spilling onto paths, or separating clumps of taller and shorter perennials, or even as low support for young climbing plants (like clematis) to give them a leg-up to reach the lowest wire on. They are so easy to move that having a few ready-to-go is very handy. Keeping some at hand is easy, as they are so pretty, that finding somewhere in the garden where they look good — just as an ornament — is simple.
I first purchased four 4-bar chestnut hurdles from craftsman at Great Dixter Gardens in 2015. I still have all four of them, which have lived outdoors all year round, and are only now reaching the end of their life, ten years later. At the time I paid £35 a piece, which I thought expensive, but given their longevity, that now looks very reasonable. As Dixter put the prices up for a while, I looked further afield, finding J Martin Rustic Garden Furniture. Following an email, they made up hurdles to-order: 3ft wide and 2ft tall (above ground section) for £35 a piece, and I snapped up six. Although a bit chunkier than the ones from Dixter they might last even longer.
Where to buy
Sarah Raven (£60 – often discounted)
Great Dixter Shop (£30 – collected)
J Martin Rustic Garden Furniture (£35 – collected)
4 Bamboo Structures pyramids, frames and fans
Bamboo can be used to create a wide range of structures from wigwams to fans and arches. Lightweight and relatively cheap and durable, bamboo canes are great for make-shift garden supports with a lifespan of 1-4 years.
Cones and pyramids (photos 1-3 above) Making wigwams, cones and pyramids from canes for climbers is relatively straight forwards. Such structures are ideal for growing annual crops of broad beans, peas, or more ornamental plants such as sweet peas (1, above) or deciduous clematis (2 above). They also work in large planters for climbing plants (3). One trick to get the maximum base width (especially when placing them in containers) is to push the canes in to the soil vertically at first, then bend the tops of the canes in towards the centre to form the wigwam.
Topiary Shaping (4 above) A simple pyramid frame for the corners of topiary provides a simple cutting line while the shrub grows. I have used this method to create tall box pyramids in Versailles planters either side of my entrance porch.
Complex frames (5 above) I have used bamboo canes to make complex tents for growing beans and peas. These can even include arches across paths. One of the possible problems with all of these bamboo structures is the possibility of wind blowing them over (especially when covered in plants). To reduce this risk, it is important that the canes are pushed firmly into the ground so they are secure. In the photo above, I created a rafter-shaped structure for growing cucumber plants up to the ridge of my greenhouse. It needed cross bracing and struts to support the weight of the mature plants, but was well worth the effort looking great and very practical for picking.
Trellis & Fans (6 above) Bamboo can be used to fabricate make-shift trellis. I often use short-term bamboo canes tied to permanent wires on fences and walls to lay out fans and espalier trees. The canes remind me of where I want branches as they grow, and I tie them in. By separately tying the canes to the wires, and to the branch of the fruit bush, it is possible to shift the position of the canes and stems together in future as the structure develops. The canes make the fruit tree look symmetrical and more ornamental than it would without them, especially in the first few years.
5 Wire Hoops & Peony Cages versatile flopper-stoppers
Pre-made wire plant supports come in a range of shapes and sizes. The two I find most useful are peony frames for pot grown perennials, and wire bows (half-loops) for general plant support in borders.
Materials:Wire plant hoops and peony cages are commonly available in two main materials, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.
- Plastic Coated Wire – These are the cheapest option, made of relatively thin plastic-coated wire, about 3-5mm diameter. These are a great budget option: light and flexible, allowing you to bend them if needed, for example: to create a wider shallower arc. Good for quick, temporary solutions. Two downsides are that the legs can easily buckle when pushing into firmer soil, and the plastic coating tends to deteriorate in a few years. Brilliant, though, to have at hand ready to deploy throughout the season. Best stored in a shed over winter. Cheap, flexible, light-duty, 3-5 years service life.
- Solid Steel – More expensive, but much more robust. Made of uncoated or painted solid steel 6-12mm diameter, the uncoated ones slowly take on an attractive patina of surface rust which does not affect their strength (they take decades to rust through). Ideal for more permanent support or where they are on view. More expensive, permanent, heavy duty, 10+ years service life.
Peony Cages: These are quite ornamental in their own right, consisting of two to four horizontal rings held in place by three vertical legs, which splay out forming a broadening cone. Placed in the top of suitable pots, they create perfect supports for various annuals and perennials. Usually, the tops of the wire legs terminate in ornamental balls. Their great benefit is that they look good even when nothing is filling them. The downside is the price. They are quite expensive, especially for the solid (rust-patina) varieties.
Plant support rings/arcs: Although you can buy support rings that are full-circle hoops, I find half-rings (sometimes called arcs) are much more versatile: You can add them to a plant or border at any time of the year, whereas pushing a mature plant through a closed hoop can be very tricky; Also, most of the cheap plastic-covered variety are interlocking, so can be extended to support longer or adjacent plants, or even create a closed ring using two of them back-to-back. Although they are rather unattractive in themselves, at least the green or black plastic coving helps them quickly disappear under foliage. These are possibly the most discreet plant support in this article, and in many ways some of the best.
Where to buy Peony Cages
Solid steel: Etsy (£27 small £31 large)
Coated Wire: Dobies (£18 small, £20 large)
Where to buy Wire arcs
Solid steel: Home&Garden Extras (x4 for: £13 S, £23 XL)
Coated wire: Amazon (From £12 for 6pack)
6 More ideas wires, trellis and edging
Here are a range of other methods I have used to support plants in my garden.
Tensioned Wires (1&2 above) On walls and fences, there is nothing quite as useful as a well installed set of horizontal wires. Climbing plants can use them as scrambling supports, wrapping their tendrils around the wires, and climb their way up like steps on a ladder. However, woody plants such as climbing roses (1, above) and espalier and fan-trained trees (2, above) also benefit from having sound support to attach their branches to. I have written extensively about how I prefer Gripple nylon wire system. I have been using it for two decades with excellent results and no deterioration in strength or performance.
- How to create quality wire supports for walls and fences
- The Best Trees and Shrubs for Espalier Training
Trellis (2&3): Timber or metal trellis panels can be fixed to walls or fences to act as support for climbers. When plants are young, such panels can be dramatic features in their own right, but once covered will be largely lost. For long-lived, permanent climbers, maintenance can be a problem, especially when timber trellis begins to rot. In some situations, trellis can be made that hinges down (even with plants attached). I have used trellis on tops of fences (3 above), where it allows climbers to benefit from sunlight from both sides.
Raised Bed Edging (4): Over the last two decades, I have often knocked up simple plant supports out of roofing batten, principally as mini-hurdles or trellis to run around a section of raised beds, when I wanted to stop the plants falling onto adjacent paths. My favourite design trick, was to create double legs on each end, that straddle the thickness of the raised bed plank, so that they could be easily ‘clipped’ over and lifted off. The leg on the inside of the bed can be shorter, so it does not even need to be pushed into the soil (depending how high the edging boards stand). My simplest design just consisted of two horizontal battens, but still effectively held back flopping plants. The one shown above (photo 4) was modified from an old piece of trellis, but works really well. It would be easy to modify this design to make a little picket fence, for example.