Gardeners across the UK are being encouraged to place sticks and stakes in their gardens this June to support growing flowers. Experts have highlighted this as a crucial task to ensure plants thrive during the warmer months ahead.
Support Your Plants Early
With summer weather approaching, now is the ideal time to prepare gardens. Many British border plants require extra support to perform at their best. Using metal stakes, bamboo sticks, or foraged branches can help stems grow upright and naturally.
Jonathan Webster, curator of RHS Rosemoor, advises: “The key is to do this early on. This means that they grow through and around the frame you are using, giving them a more natural look.”
Best Methods for Different Plants
Flower rings are excellent for supporting plants like freesias and chrysanthemums. For annuals such as sweet peas, Webster recommends weaving hazel or silver birch branches into artistic structures, adding both support and visual interest to the garden.
Taller, more fragile herbaceous plants like delphiniums and peonies benefit from metal link stakes. These stakes come in various heights and can be linked together for added strength. Green-colored options blend seamlessly with foliage.
Where to Buy
Gardeners can purchase supports at local gardening stores or hardware retailers such as B&Q.
Climbing Plant Tips
The RHS explains: “Plants climb in different ways; some are self-clinging, using aerial-roots (ivy) or adhesive pads (Virginia creeper), some twine around supports (wisteria) and some produce tendrils to grasp a cane or wire (sweet peas). The thorns along the stems of climbing roses and rambling roses help them to grip and climb. Whichever method your climbing plant uses, it will need tying-in to offer some initial support and to position stems where you want them to be.”
By completing this simple task, gardeners will notice a significant improvement in their flowers' growth and appearance this summer.
