13th April 2015

Staking masterclass on the Mixed Borders with Formal.

We used birch - this is coppiced yearly from a nearby woodland only really lasts a year before they start disintegrating. Hazel and willow wood perhaps may give a 'more elegant' look.

Some plants are getting staked that in other conditions may not need them - the irrigation on the Mixed Borders - they are watered from above which has a tendency to make the plants droop. It would be better if they were irrigated close to the ground.

The type of things we were staking were Rudbeckia californica, Inula racemosa, Solidago 'Golden Wings', Echinops orientalis, Ageratina, Aconitum and Persicaria alpina.

The birch stakes were 8 - 6 foot high, we cut the bottom to a point or even to a slant so it would go into the ground better, first stuck them in the ground then cut them to the required height.

Photo 2: Staking completed around Rudbeckia californica.

The plants will grow through most of this staking and it will remain fairly invisible, but the stakes are also aesthetically pleasing enough to be seen too.

Photo 3: Ex-team leader James Poulton demonstrating the use of metal wire rods that can be interlocked with each other into grids as another form of staking, around things like tall Phloxes.

Photo 4: End result of grid staking with additional string to give more support - Phlox paniculata 'Nesperis'.