Essential Plant Supports for Perennials During a Dry Summer

Talking to fellow gardeners, we all seem to feel that the summer has not been kind to us. A very cool spring (although average temperatures were high, the days were cool and we saw little sun) followed a wet winter and now we seem to be fading into a very English summer: cool and cloudy with the promise of rain but not enough to give a really good soaking.

August is the traditional time of harvest in the fields and, in the garden, of late herbaceous perennials. Perennials are the backbone of many gardens, providing colour and structure year after year. However, a dry summer can be challenging for them. Making sure they receive adequate support is crucial for them to flourish. Here are some essential plant supports that can help your perennials survive our dry summers along with a look at some of the most popular mid to late summer flowering perennials.

Stakes: I am a great admirer of Niff Barnes (@niff_barnes) and follow her advice on most gardening matters. Here she is on supporting perennials: ‘You CAN NOT over-stake your borders – I cannot emphasis that enough!! Stake some more and, when you think you’ve done it … do it again!!’

Like all of us, I don’t get them in soon enough … or enough of them … but it’s never too late to wade into the border, lift the drooping phlox or galega and tie it up with 3 or 5 stakes .

Cages and Rings: peony supports were designed with peonies in mind but are very useful for other bushy perennials such as salvias. Single or double rings are best placed over the plant early in the season, allowing stems to grow inside the ring for natural support: sedums and the many varieties of nepeta come to mind.

Grids: these are the Rolls Royce of perennial supports and I use them over tall perennials in the middle or back of the border to stop them from leaning forward and cutting out light and water from the smaller plants in front of them. Two of the tall clumps that come to mind are Campanula lactiflora and Galega officinalis both of which shoot upwards suddenly, come into spectacular flower and then flop. They have strong stems and will be held by a grid at quite a low level; the stems and leaves will grow through the grid and be held upright.

• Echinacea: there are some lovely varieties of echinacea that have come onto the market in recent years. The plants are hardy and drought tolerant, once established, and attract pollinators. They have strong stems and often don’t need supports but our  wraparound stakes  will hold the clump together

• Phlox paniculata: I mention phlox at every opportunity – I love them! They need rich, fertile soil and moisture; enrich the soil with a good supply of organic matter in winter and water throughout the summer. Divide them every three to four years in late winter and keep them watered as they come into growth. Although I don’t normally fall for chorus girl colours, I do recommend ’Starfire’ in carmine pink and, my favourite, ‘Blue Paradise’ in deep blue-violet shades with a magenta eye – as a bonus, it has a lovely, delicate scent. Taller cultivars will either need a ring of  stakes  and string or an  L3 hydrangea grid  well pushed into the bed

• Asters: there are so many to choose from and many of the newer cultivars are resistant to powdery mildew. My favourite is Aster frikartii ‘Monch’ which flowers from mid-summer with bright lavender flowers. The stems are sturdy but it does have a tendence to splay and will benefit from a  one-ring support . For semi-shade, consider Aster divericatus - I use it in my woodland border and support its wiry stems with a short  one-ring support

• Agastache: I have always placed great emphasis on pollinators: Agastaches give us a long season, aromatic flowers and they appeal to butterflies. Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’ is one of the finest with peppermint-scented foliage and upright spikes of blue-violet; it loves good drainage and sunshine – ideal for the dry border and lovely planted among grasses. A few  stakes  woven among the stems should keep them upright

• Rudbeckia: also known as ‘cone flowers’, the starry flowers of this late summer perennial shine in late summer borders alongside asters and grasses. Although Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ needs very little support, many of the taller varieties, such as Rudbeckia ‘Henry Eilers’ or Rudbeckia laciniata benefit from a few  stakes  to keep the clump together