I always have a dilemma in April, choosing the right plant supports for my tall border perennials...
I always have a dilemma in April, choosing the right plant supports for my tall border perennials, delphiniums in particular. Last year I used lots of home-grown sticks leftover from pruning my silver birch. Pushed firmly into the soil around clumps early in the season, they looked natural, and were soon covered by growth. However, by the end of the season their bottoms had rotted away. So what now?
Should I choose man-made materials or use natural ones? Are the metal and plastic plant supports available in garden centres really worth the investment? Some are extremely well made, but at a price. And others don't really look in keeping with my natural-looking flower border. In fact, they can stick out like a sore thumb, especially if the plants don't quite cover them.
Canes are OK, but again they don't look natural, especially when new. You also need to be a whizz with the green string, linking them together to support plants, tying in stems as they grow ever taller. And then you have to be careful not to bend over and catch the tip of a cane in your eye when weeding. It's fine advising people to pop a plastic bottle or similar cane topper in place, but these look even more obtrusive. But I suppose that's the point of them, as if you don't see them you'll do yourself some damage, and that's what we're trying to avoid.
Large-flowered dahlias and chrysanthemums often need something even stronger. I normally hammer thick wooden stakes into the ground around clumps, then join them with twine to hold growth upright. Again, not very natural looking.
So back to my silver birch. Unfortunately it doesn't need any more pruning, and with its new growth it's too late to lop off branches. Perhaps a local coppice wood is selling hazel twigs and poles. That would be one answer, and a natural one too. I'll try and search some out.
So, just what is the best support for tall-growing plants?
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