Staking plants is nobody's favorite garden chore. Maybe that's why so many of us wait until the poor plants are already bending and flopping before we stake them. Staking in spring means you will have a few weeks of visible stakes, but it will save many headaches throughout the rest of the growing season.

If you see your Peony start to break ground it is easier to put a Peony Hoop on now rather then later. Well done spring staking makes the garden look better throughout the season. It also makes maintenance easier, because you will not have to lift and move dropping plants off one another. You will probably discover plants you wished you had staked, as the season matures. Gravity can be a garden foe for tall plants, which can flop over. Garden favorites with a tendency to topple include dahlias, gladioli, lilies, hollyhocks, delphiniums and coreopsis to name a few.

There are many different stakes from the traditional wooden stake, bamboo, plastic stakes, tomato cages & tepee type stakes, hoops and half hoops. There are very creative ways to stake plants as well... Look for canned goods with pretty labels or paint them yourself. Use a can opener to remove the top and bottom, leaving smooth edges. Poke a hole on one side of the can and slip a plastic-covered plant tie through. Secure the tie to a thick stick or bamboo plant stake in such a way that you can slide the can up or down the stake as needed. Put the stake into the ground next to a sprouting plant or seedling, guiding the shoot through the can. As the stem grows taller, slide the can upward to provide continuing support. You can also paint the name of plant on the can and use it for marking the plant for next year!

Happy Gardening!