Why Plant Supports Matter
Even the most carefully tended garden can be undone by a summer storm or a heavy crop of fruit pulling stems to the ground. Plant supports are one of those garden essentials that are easy to overlook until you need them — and by then it's often too late. Getting the right support in place early, before plants need it, is the key to keeping your garden looking its best and protecting your plants through the growing season.
This guide covers the main types of plant support available, which plants need them, and how to use them effectively in a UK garden.
Types of Plant Support
Garden Canes
The most versatile and widely used plant support. Bamboo canes are lightweight, strong, and available in a range of lengths from 60cm to 240cm. They're ideal for supporting individual stems, training climbing plants, and staking tall perennials and vegetables.
- Bamboo canes — the standard choice; biodegradable, affordable, and widely available. Replace every 2–3 years as they degrade
- Fibreglass canes — more durable than bamboo and won't snap or splinter; a good long-term investment
- Metal canes — extremely durable; ideal for permanent plantings and heavier plants
Always cap canes with a safety topper or upturned pot to protect eyes — a cane at eye level in a border is a genuine hazard.
Bamboo Tripods and Wigwams
Three or more canes tied together at the top to form a wigwam or tripod. These are ideal for climbing beans, sweet peas, cucumbers, and other twining climbers. They're attractive as well as functional and work well as a focal point in a vegetable bed or border.
Plant Stakes and Single Stem Supports
Sturdy single stakes for supporting individual plants with heavy flower heads or fruit — dahlias, delphiniums, standard roses, and tomatoes. Look for stakes with a loop or hook at the top to tie stems to without damaging them.
Linking Stakes and Ring Supports
Interlocking metal or plastic stakes that can be arranged in a circle or square around a clump of plants, with a ring or grid of horizontal bars to support stems from below. These are ideal for bushy perennials like peonies, asters, and hardy geraniums that tend to flop outward as they grow.
The key is to put ring supports in place early in spring, when plants are still short — they grow up through the support naturally and it becomes invisible by flowering time.
Grow-Through Supports and Grids
Flat or domed grids that sit over a plant and allow stems to grow up through the mesh. Similar in principle to ring supports but often more flexible in shape. Particularly good for herbaceous perennials in mixed borders.
Pea and Bean Netting
A wide-mesh net stretched between posts or a frame, providing a climbing surface for peas, beans, and other tendril climbers. Peas will naturally grip the netting with their tendrils; beans may need a little guidance initially. Jute or natural fibre netting is biodegradable and can be composted at the end of the season along with the plants.
Trellis and Obelisks
Trellis panels fixed to walls or fences provide a permanent climbing surface for roses, clematis, wisteria, and other wall-trained plants. Freestanding obelisks and pyramids are attractive garden structures that support climbing plants in borders and containers — sweet peas, climbing roses, and annual climbers all work beautifully on an obelisk.
Tomato Cages and Spirals
Conical wire cages or spiral metal supports designed specifically for tomatoes and other fruiting crops. Tomato spirals are particularly elegant — the plant winds around the spiral as it grows, providing support without tying. Cages work well for bush tomato varieties that don't need training to a single stem.
Flexi-Tie and Soft Twine
Not a support in itself, but essential for attaching plants to their supports. Always use soft, flexible ties — never wire or rigid plastic — to avoid cutting into stems. Flexi-tie (a foam-covered wire) is reusable and gentle on plants. Natural jute twine is biodegradable and works well for annual crops.
Which Plants Need Support?
Vegetables
- Tomatoes (cordon) — single cane or spiral per plant; tie in regularly as they grow
- Runner and climbing French beans — wigwam of canes or bean netting; they grow fast and need support from an early stage
- Peas — pea netting, twiggy sticks, or a purpose-made pea frame
- Cucumbers — strong cane or trellis; train the main stem upward and pinch out side shoots
- Broad beans — stake with canes and string around the outside of the clump to prevent wind damage
- Courgettes and squash — trailing varieties benefit from a frame or trellis to keep fruit off the ground
Flowers and Perennials
- Dahlias — stake each plant individually with a sturdy cane; tie in as they grow
- Delphiniums — tall spikes need individual canes; tie loosely at several points up the stem
- Peonies — ring support placed in early spring; they're notorious for flopping under the weight of their blooms
- Sweet peas — wigwam, obelisk, or netting; they climb by tendrils and grow quickly
- Asters and rudbeckias — grow-through grid or linking stakes to prevent outward flopping
- Roses (climbing and rambling) — trellis or wire on a wall or fence; tie in new growth regularly
Tips for Using Plant Supports Effectively
- Support early — put supports in place before plants need them; it's much harder to support a plant that's already flopping, and you risk breaking stems
- Tie loosely — ties should hold the plant without constricting it; leave room for the stem to thicken as it grows
- Use the right height — choose canes and stakes that will be taller than the mature plant; you can always push them deeper into the ground
- Check after storms — inspect supports after strong winds and re-tie or replace as needed
- Store canes carefully — clean and dry canes before storing over winter to extend their life; bundle and store horizontally in a dry shed or garage
- Go natural where possible — twiggy hazel or birch sticks pushed into the ground around plants are a traditional and effective support for peas and perennials, and they're free if you have the right trees
Shop Plant Supports at Selections
Browse our full range of plant supports and garden stakes to keep your plants upright and thriving all season long.