I’ve learned from experience that some plants will flop on me if not supported. It is disheartening to wake up in the morning after a stormy night to find the dahlias beaten down and broken. One year, my peonies came into bloom just before a rainstorm hit. At least I got to enjoy the blooms for a couple hours.

While we are glad to see growers develop plants with bigger and more prolific blooms, we also have to be prepared to support the added weight that the stems might not be able to bear in rain and windstorms.

Instead of using commercial stakes that might stand out in a landscape, let me suggest a natural look when staking. My favorite stake source is from the arrow wood Viburnum stems. I thin and cut these back every year. And as the common name indicates, these branches are long and straight.  Because of the opposite branching structure, they also provide a nice Y-support for caging in a plant that might want to flop. I circle my peonies with them, and they virtually disappear as the peonies grow into and through them. But they do the job.

As an added benefit, sometimes the stakes that I use from tree and shrub cuttings will leaf out themselves and might even flower. So, consider recycling the branches you prune in the spring and put them to work in your yard throughout the summer.

Posted by Bob Rensel