GUIDE
Staking & supporting plants
4 steps
How to do it
- 1Stake tall or floppy perennials early in the season, before they need it.
- 2Choose a support roughly two-thirds the eventual height of the plant, so it's hidden by growth but still effective.
- 3Tie loosely with soft garden twine, allowing room for the stem to thicken.
- 4For climbers, check ties periodically through the season as stems thicken, loosening any that have become tight.
COMMON MISTAKE
Staking too late, after a plant has already flopped in wind or rain — the stems rarely recover their upright habit even once supported.
Plants that use it
Their calendar has a job that points to this guide.
RELATED GUIDES
DeadheadingFeeding & NPK basicsCutting back herbaceous perennialsMulching