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Apr 25, 2012 8:38 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Julia
Shepherdstown WV (Zone 6b)
Clematis I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Daylilies Hummingbirder Irises Region: New York
Seed Starter Vegetable Grower
Hope I'm posting in the right forum.

The peonies are emerging here and I'm wondering if there is an "easy" and inexpensive way to keep them bundled so when they get taller they don't flop over when it rains or we have high winds. I figured now is the time to put something in place before they get too big. Year after year I procrastinated but his year, I really need to get something in place.
I have just one big clump of them but hoping to get more this season.

Would like to hear what methods others have used to keep them upright during high winds and rain.
Julia
Shepherdstown WV
Zone 6b
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Apr 26, 2012 10:39 AM CST
Name: Carole
Clarksville, TN (Zone 6b)
Charter ATP Member Garden Sages Plant Identifier I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! I helped plan and beta test the plant database. Avid Green Pages Reviewer
I helped beta test the Garden Planting Calendar Garden Ideas: Master Level Cat Lover Birds Region: Tennessee Echinacea
Bumping this up.
I garden for the pollinators.
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Apr 26, 2012 11:06 AM CST
Name: Michele Roth
N.E. Indiana - Zone 5b, and F (Zone 9b)
I'm always on my way out the door..
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Forum moderator Garden Sages Garden Ideas: Master Level Dog Lover Cottage Gardener
Native Plants and Wildflowers Plant Identifier Organic Gardener Keeps Horses Hummingbirder Hosted a Not-A-Raffle-Raffle
These plants are wrapped in bird netting - up to, or near, the top leaves.
Thumb of 2012-04-26/chelle/4230e2

I found the grow-through supports to be too short, so the top section of these are also wrapped in bird netting. (The blooming ones, on the right)
Thumb of 2012-04-26/chelle/b42070

These are growing through a sectioned support that you can usually find at garden centers or the big box stores. Get the taller ones unless you know you have very short-growing plants (you can push them in deeper if they're too tall).
Thumb of 2012-04-26/chelle/bab3a3



I've also enclosed entire groupings in 28" tall sectioned garden fence. It must not have been very attractive, however, since I can't find a picture of it. Whistling It worked well, but it was white - I would have preferred a dark green.
Cottage Gardening

Newest Interest: Rock Gardens


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Apr 27, 2012 6:06 AM CST
Name: Karen
Valencia, Pa (Zone 6a)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Cut Flowers Winter Sowing Charter ATP Member Seed Starter Echinacea
Plant and/or Seed Trader Region: Ohio Region: United States of America Butterflies Hummingbirder Celebrating Gardening: 2015
Grow- through support grids work well. Gardener's Supply has some that you can pick top grid size as well as leg height.
http://www.gardeners.com/Grow-...

Karen
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Apr 27, 2012 10:17 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Julia
Shepherdstown WV (Zone 6b)
Clematis I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Daylilies Hummingbirder Irises Region: New York
Seed Starter Vegetable Grower
Thanks for all the tips.

Chelle: Do you think hardware cloth would be as good as the bird netting?

Karen: I'll check out gardeners.com. I need something really sturdy to hold these all up. I know I should have reduced the clump last fall but never got around to it and forget about this spring. The weather just isn't cooperating.
Julia
Shepherdstown WV
Zone 6b
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Apr 27, 2012 11:22 AM CST
Name: Karen
Valencia, Pa (Zone 6a)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Cut Flowers Winter Sowing Charter ATP Member Seed Starter Echinacea
Plant and/or Seed Trader Region: Ohio Region: United States of America Butterflies Hummingbirder Celebrating Gardening: 2015
Julia, I've used those grow thru supports for years. I used them on my 20 year old peonies for their whole lives. Now other stuff- perfect for lobelia cardinalis. I think I might order more for my maltese cross and a few others. They work really well. And Gardener's Supply is a good company, great customer service.

Karen
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Apr 27, 2012 12:51 PM CST
Name: Michele Roth
N.E. Indiana - Zone 5b, and F (Zone 9b)
I'm always on my way out the door..
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Forum moderator Garden Sages Garden Ideas: Master Level Dog Lover Cottage Gardener
Native Plants and Wildflowers Plant Identifier Organic Gardener Keeps Horses Hummingbirder Hosted a Not-A-Raffle-Raffle
Hmm, I hadn't considered hardware cloth. I try to avoid it if it's that metal stuff. I'm cut and scrape prone. Is yours shiny? The leaves would be mashed against the inside of it and it might not be very attractive if it is.

Large-holed horse or cattle fencing would probably be ideal, with a couple of decent metal stakes to fasten it to. The leaves would grow through it and hide it somewhat. I've seen others just tie up the plant with a piece of ribbon, but then again, it's really mashed together that way.

The sectioned grow-through supports work great, once you know what height they need to be. The ones we have on hand here are just too short.
Cottage Gardening

Newest Interest: Rock Gardens


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Apr 27, 2012 1:36 PM CST
Name: Karen
Valencia, Pa (Zone 6a)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Cut Flowers Winter Sowing Charter ATP Member Seed Starter Echinacea
Plant and/or Seed Trader Region: Ohio Region: United States of America Butterflies Hummingbirder Celebrating Gardening: 2015
Here are some pics of my grow thru supports on lobelia cardinalis, one month apart.

In July, you can see the support on the lobelia
Thumb of 2012-04-27/kqcrna/d88063

By August, the support disappeared into the foliage
Thumb of 2012-04-27/kqcrna/0e520f

Karen
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Apr 27, 2012 2:29 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Julia
Shepherdstown WV (Zone 6b)
Clematis I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Daylilies Hummingbirder Irises Region: New York
Seed Starter Vegetable Grower
Karen: I checked out the one I would need for the height the peonies get here (20" with enough in the ground to stabilize the ring), but they are out of stock. So I'll have to check other places to see if I can something like that. Thanks.
Edit: My bad. I was looking at the wrong cage.


Chelle: Thanks for the additional information.
Julia
Shepherdstown WV
Zone 6b
Last edited by JuliaNY Apr 27, 2012 2:32 PM Icon for preview
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Apr 27, 2012 9:10 PM CST
Name: Julia
Washington State (Zone 7a)
Hydrangeas Photo Contest Winner 2018 Garden Photography Region: Pacific Northwest Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Forum moderator
Plant Database Moderator I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Dog Lover Sempervivums Container Gardener Foliage Fan
Karen, that is a so beautiful!
Sempervivum for Sale
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Apr 28, 2012 3:55 AM CST
Name: Karen
Valencia, Pa (Zone 6a)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Cut Flowers Winter Sowing Charter ATP Member Seed Starter Echinacea
Plant and/or Seed Trader Region: Ohio Region: United States of America Butterflies Hummingbirder Celebrating Gardening: 2015
Thanks, Spring!

Karen
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Apr 28, 2012 10:10 AM CST
Name: Susan
Virginia (Zone 8a)
God is the only thing that matters.
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Level 1 Avid Green Pages Reviewer Hibiscus Dragonflies Daylilies
Bee Lover Dahlias Butterflies Hostas Birds Lilies
Beautiful Karen, I had bought a tomato cage for the coneflowers last year and I thought they would work good if you get a big one. Also I have the Peony support rings and they are ok till they get big, right?
Thumb of 2012-04-28/virginiarose/e8fe01

Thumb of 2012-04-28/virginiarose/ef1556

Thumb of 2012-04-28/virginiarose/3fe7eb They work good for Dahlia's too, you can just barely see this one.
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Mat.6:28-29
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Apr 28, 2012 11:05 AM CST
Name: Karen
Valencia, Pa (Zone 6a)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Cut Flowers Winter Sowing Charter ATP Member Seed Starter Echinacea
Plant and/or Seed Trader Region: Ohio Region: United States of America Butterflies Hummingbirder Celebrating Gardening: 2015
When you use that upside down cage, how do you stake it to the ground?

I have one small tomato cage that I use on my smaller clump of lobelia and it works well. But my other old cages are too tall- Maybe 4 or 5 feet when installed in the ground. It doesn't look good. I have no idea where I got that little tomato cage, but it's been floating around my house for years. I never see that size in stores.

Those cages never worked for my tomatoes. The pyramidal shape lets them be easily be blown over, taking the plant with them. I tried square tomato cages for a few years- they stood better, but only lasted a couple of years then fell apart. Last year I bit the bullet and bought some Texas tomato cages - now they're some real tomato cages!
Thumb of 2012-04-28/kqcrna/45b922

Karen
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Apr 28, 2012 11:45 AM CST
Name: Susan
Virginia (Zone 8a)
God is the only thing that matters.
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Level 1 Avid Green Pages Reviewer Hibiscus Dragonflies Daylilies
Bee Lover Dahlias Butterflies Hostas Birds Lilies
Wow!! Those are not going nowhere!! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray!

The tomato cages are ancored with a simple spike, this is the only picture I have because my brick fell over. They are pretty cheep too. I use them everywhere.
Thumb of 2012-04-28/virginiarose/d4efce
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Mat.6:28-29
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Apr 28, 2012 12:40 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Julia
Shepherdstown WV (Zone 6b)
Clematis I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Daylilies Hummingbirder Irises Region: New York
Seed Starter Vegetable Grower
What I would think is you could use heavy gauge wire shaped into a U shape much like the landscaper use for holding down the black fabric but these would have to be long so they anchor in the ground. Hmmmm, I think I found a solution for the tomato cages this year. Turn them upside down and then wire anchor them into the soil so the wind can't blow them over...I hope. Last year we had to tie rope around the cages to keep them from falling over.

Karen: The garden pics are beautiful. Hopefully the hoops come quickly as the peonies are getting quite tall already. Rolling my eyes.
Julia
Shepherdstown WV
Zone 6b
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Apr 28, 2012 1:04 PM CST
Name: Susan
Virginia (Zone 8a)
God is the only thing that matters.
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Level 1 Avid Green Pages Reviewer Hibiscus Dragonflies Daylilies
Bee Lover Dahlias Butterflies Hostas Birds Lilies
Julia, you can buy those u shaped wire things, they are called landscape staples. They use them to hold down the landscape fabric and they are thick enough to hammer in. The ones I got you can push in with your foot, they won't bend. I think my tomato cage is upside down. Isn't it, I never grow tomatoes I don't really know which way it goes. My stomach can't handle tomatoes, love them though. Green Grin!

I remember I got a good price from HomeDepot but don't remember the details. This is what they look like.

http://www.baileysonline.com/i...
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Mat.6:28-29
Image
Apr 28, 2012 3:16 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Julia
Shepherdstown WV (Zone 6b)
Clematis I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Daylilies Hummingbirder Irises Region: New York
Seed Starter Vegetable Grower
virginiarose said: I think my tomato cage is upside down. Isn't it, I never grow tomatoes I don't really know which way it goes. My stomach can't handle tomatoes, love them though. Green Grin!



From the pic, yes, your cage is upside down holding the coneflowers. Thumbs up I was just at HD yesterday buying supplies. I somehow think I may have a jar of staples like that in the garage when we had to put down fabric when doing our patio so the dirt would not slide back onto the pavers. I'll have to check tomorrow.
Sorry to hear you can't eat tomatoes. I love them.

I hope these hoops hold the peonies. One good rain storm and they would flop over to the ground but I love the look and smell of them. Hoping to get more of them next month.
Julia
Shepherdstown WV
Zone 6b
Image
Apr 28, 2012 4:13 PM CST
Name: Susan
Virginia (Zone 8a)
God is the only thing that matters.
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Level 1 Avid Green Pages Reviewer Hibiscus Dragonflies Daylilies
Bee Lover Dahlias Butterflies Hostas Birds Lilies
I sure hope they hold up well for you, they are so beautiful and so many gorgeous ones out there! They are worth the trouble though. Thumbs up
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Mat.6:28-29
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