Staking aconites in spring

Essential Spring Jobs

When to Stake

Mid-April is the time to think about staking plants that may need support. Timing varies according to each plant's requirements - go back to your observation of the plants' growth habits. We start in early spring with spring flowers such as aquilegias, finishing in late spring with late summer plants such as dahlias, but the technique remains the same.

Timing is critical:

• Too early - the stakes will be visible for a long time.
• Too late - the plant has already flopped, or the ground is too dry to get stakes in.
• Stake when the plant is no more than two-thirds of its ultimate height.

In this lesson, I'll show you how to stake perennials in a visually sympathetic way and explain the importance of getting ahead to save time later in the season.

Staking Materials

• We use 'pea sticks' from coppicing hazel. Hazel's branching habit gives great support.
• We group pea sticks of different lengths into bundles, making it easy to select one the right size for the plants I'm staking.
• Every bit of hazel is useful - thicker or less branched stems can be used for denser plants like lupins.
• Make sure you have plenty of material, as you may need more than you think.

How to Stake with Hazel

Aim for the plant to retain its own shape, not be manipulated into position. Different plants will need different heights of stakes, according to where their points of weakness are, which you'll get a feel for. For example, 2-3ft for soft-stemmed aconites.

1. Put sticks in through the middle of the plant - if they're only put around the outside, the plant becomes one big mass that can move in the wind.
2. Place a few sticks around the outside of the clump.
3. Use as much as you need to give strength, but no more, to avoid the staking becoming the focus. As the plant grows, the staking should become more or less invisible.
4. Trim off excess length if the sticks are much higher than the plant.
5. Loosely tie in any stems sitting outside of the staking to one of the sticks.

Hazel sticks only last a year before becoming brittle but can be used more than once during a season - such as for an early-flowering plant that's cut down, then something else that needs staking later in the year.

Planning Your Staking

If you have lots of plants to stake, make a list - thinking back to anything that flopped last year or anything you had to intervene with - and do a few each week. You'll get familiar with what type of material you need and when each plant needs doing. This list is another example of the importance of planning, and I use it to predict how many hazel trees to coppice.

Your Assignment

Take a wander round your garden - or think back to last season. Which plants have flopped or would benefit from staking to improve their form?

• Staking time is often between mid-April and late May for hardy perennials, depending on your climate, and a couple of weeks after planting for tender perennials like dahlias.
• You can look up flowering time and ultimate height for your plants.
• Don't worry if you can't fill all of this out straight away - particularly height of staking. Next season, observe your plants and see how much more you can fill in.

Plant Directory

Aconitum species and cultivars

Aconites, monk's hoods

Hardy herbaceous perennials or biennials

Ranunculaceae

Aquilegia species and cultivars

Columbines

Hardy herbaceous perennials

Ranunculaceae

Corylus avellana

Hazel

Hardy, deciduous, large shrub or small multistemmed tree

Betulaceae

Crocosmia species and cultivars

Montbretias

Hardy herbaceous perennials from a corm

Iridaceae

Dahlia species, hybrids and cultivars

Dahlias

Tender or half-hardy tuberous or herbaceous perennials

Asteraceae

Delphinium species and cultivars

Larkspurs

Hardy herbaceous perennials or annuals

Ranunculaceae

Lupinus species and cultivars

Lupins

Hardy or half-hardy annuals, short-lived perennials or herbaceous perennials

Fabaceae