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Supporting Peonies — The Hildene Star

1/14/2020

5 Comments

 
Last year when we bought a new home I inherited several gorgeous peony bushes. They produced beautiful showy blooms in shades of pink and white.

I had used heavy-duty tomato cages for supports but the plants grew so big that as soon as it rained the weight of the blooms caused the branches to bend over the edges of the wire cages damaging them.
Picture
.

This year I have a new plan for supporting my peony plants. This is called a Hildene Star used a Hildene, the Lincoln Family Home in Manchester, Vermont. The formal garden boasts over 1,000 peony blooms and its caretakers strive to keep the garden looking as natural as possible.

These simple supports blend into the foliage and allow the blooms to shine. I'm thinking that if this plan works for them it will surely work for me. Here's what you need to know.
Picture

1. Begin with five garden stakes, preferably bamboo. Place them equidistant around the cluster of peony plants when the plants have produced the first buds. 
2. Connect the stakes with natural jute or garden twine to form a star. Wrap jute at each stake so that the jute is taut.
3. Wrap the jute around the circumference of the stakes wrapping the jute around each stake as you go to form a circle.
Picture
Because the Hildene Star provides sections for individual branches it provides more support than a traditional peony cage or tomato cage that only provides support around the perimeter.
5 Comments
James Monty
5/8/2020 08:17:32 am

I learned about the Hildene Star at last years Vermont Garden Show. My question is, how high above ground level should I run my cord?

Reply
RICHARD T. HAINES,
5/30/2021 05:39:36 am

I need a copy of the reply to the question "how high above ground level should I run my cord?"

Reply
margaret perri link
5/2/2022 10:46:40 am

Peony supports

Reply
Maria Marrocco
6/21/2020 08:49:32 pm

Someone on face book recommended this product for me and I am interested to buy a few, just would like to know if can be shipped to Canada. Thank you

Reply
Gail
7/10/2021 10:34:00 am

you don’t purchase anything except some stakes and twine. there are some directions on how to set it up.

Reply



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  • Home
  • Garden Thyme Blog
  • Themes
    • Butterfly Gardens
    • Moon Gardens
    • Sensory Gardens
    • All About Fairies
  • Flowers
    • Annual Flowers >
      • Alyssum
      • Cosmos
      • Geraniums
      • Marigolds
      • Morning Glories
      • Nasturtiums
      • Petunias >
        • Reviving Petunias
      • Snapdragons
      • Sunflowers
      • Sweet Peas
      • Zinnias
    • Perennial Flowers >
      • Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Hortensia’)
      • Lupines
      • Purple Coneflower (Echinacea Purpurea)
    • Maine Wildflowers
  • Veggies
    • Warm Season Vegetables >
      • About Beans >
        • Growing Beans
        • Growing Pole Beans
        • How to Make a Teepee Trellis
      • About Corn >
        • Growing Corn
        • What is Baby Corn, anyway?
        • Can you grow corn in containers?
      • Cucumbers >
        • Grow a cucumber in a bottle
        • Growing Pickling Cucumbers
        • Growing cucamelons (Mexican Gherkin)
        • Why do cucumbers blossom but fail to set fruit?
        • Trellising Cucumbers
        • Making Cucumber Relish
        • Powdery Mildew on Cucumbers
      • Melons
      • Peppers >
        • Growing Peppers
      • Squash >
        • Growing Zucchini
        • Spaghetti Squash
      • Tomatoes >
        • How to Harden Off Tomato Plants
        • How (and when) to Prune Tomatoes
        • Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) for Tomatoes
        • Blossom End Rot in Tomatoes
        • Growing Cherry Tomatoes in Hanging Baskets
        • 4 Best Tomatoes for Short Seasons - Early Tomatoes
        • 5 Early Maturing Tomatoes for Short Season Gardening
        • How to Ripen Green Tomatoes
        • How to Make Sun-Dried Tomatoes at Home
        • How to Grow a Pomato Plant
    • Cool Season Vegetables >
      • Cole Crops
      • Greens >
        • How to Grow Spinach
        • How to Grow Malabar Spinach
        • How to Grow Swiss Chard
        • Harvesting and Cooking Beet Greens
        • How to Grow Microgreens
      • Onions & Garlic >
        • How to Grow Garlic
        • How to Grow Onions
      • Peas >
        • Growing Garden (shelling) Peas
        • Growing Sugar Snap Peas
      • Potatoes >
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Containers
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Hay Bales
      • Root Crops >
        • Growing Beets
        • How to Grow Carrots
        • Turnips vs Rutabagas
  • Herbs
    • Growing Basil
    • Growing Chives
    • Growing Lavender
    • Herbal Tea Garden
    • How to Grow a Culinary Herb Garden
    • How to Grow Herbs in Sponges
    • Colonial Herb Garden - Classroom Project
    • Herbed Butter
    • Making Herbed Oils
  • Gardening Basics
    • Seed Starting Basics
    • Grafting Basics
    • Soil >
      • Starting a New Garden
      • How to Prepare Soil
      • How to Test Soil Drainage
      • What Type of Soil Do You Have
      • Soil Mix Recipe for Containers
      • How to Make Compost Tea
      • How to Use Mulch
  • Garden Pests
    • How to Control Japanese Beetles
    • How to Control Blister Beetles
    • How to Get Rid of Colorado Potato Beetles
  • Birds
    • Hummingbirds >
      • DIY Hummingbird Feeders from Recycled Bottles
      • Annuals for Hummingbird Gardens
      • Perennials for Hummingbird Gardens
    • About Birdseed
    • Choosing a Birdfeeder
  • Fiddleheads and Fairies
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • How to Marinate Roasted Vegetables