Available in two sizes and made from solid high quality galvanised solid steel with a Sage Green UV stabilised coating or Natural Rust finish Peony blooms do best when they are supported, so it is important to make sure they have some sort of structure or support around them. When the gardening season comes to an end, many gardeners are left with a surplus of tomato cages. These metal or plastic cages were once filled with green plants and ripe tomatoes, but now they are empty and taking up space in the garage or shed. But don’t toss them out just yet! There are a few things you can do with old tomato cages that will make them useful for years to come. One option is to use them as support for other plants. Tall perennials like delphiniums and foxgloves can benefit from a little extra support, and tomato cages are the perfect size. Just insert the cages into the ground around the plants and tie them to the main stem for added stability. If you don’t have any plants that need support, you can repurpose your tomato cages as trellises for climbing vines. Sweet peas, morning glories, and clematis all need something to climb on, and tomato cages provide the perfect solution. Just tie the vines to the cage as they grow and watch them take off! Finally, if you’re really not sure what to do with your old tomato cages, you can always donate them to a local community garden or farm. They’ll be put to good use and you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you’re helping out a worthy cause.

Trim your peonies after they’re done blooming to remove the dead flowers, and give the plants a nice shape for the summer. Buy a single cage or a pair — Create a single centrepiece or bookmark your garden with a choice of one or two peony cages. We will use these cages right side up for our Peony Supports but we need to trim them down in size. Modifying Peony Support CagesDon't forget: while rusty plant supports are a classic at the moment, it's best to choose whichever you think will work best in your garden. Think about whether you want to make a feature out of the plant supports, or whether you want the peony to be the main attraction. You don't want your chic plant support detracting from the beauty of the peony in question. One of the most difficult garden activities to do is grow tomatoes in tomato cages. If you want to make changes to the way you approach the tomato cage, I recommend doing so completely. You’ll be having a literal feast of tomatoes as you grow them vertically and prune them on a regular basis, and then plant tomato companion plants. To support and grow my tomatoes vertically, I use simple and inexpensive methods. The materials used here are very low-cost and can be stored vertically next to the garden throughout the off-season. A trellis provides excellent support for tomato plants and their fruit, as well as for the plants’ growing process. Tomatoes can grow in tomato cages, but they can also be grown in other containers with less space than those used for tomatoes. You can help tomato plants grow by using stakes, tripods, ladders, and fences as part of the garden. Stakes might be made from a range of different materials, from bamboo to natural branches from your garden, to reclaimed lengths of wood, metal or other materials. Many peonies will benefit from some kind of support, to prevent breakage to the stems and damage in winds or heavy rains.

Keep the portion you cut off, this can still be used to support things in your garden, even smaller peony bushes. (if planting from peonies bare-root it can take a few years for them to fill in) Supporting Peonies when Flowering As the peony grows taller make sure the buds are threaded through the grid to support the flowers individually. The cage also allows air to circulate around the flower buds, keeping them in pristine condition as they unfurl each spring season. Herbaceous peonies usually require some kind of support, while intersectional and shrub-like tree peonies can often manage without it.While its quite normal for plants to droop a little over the season, if you have a particularly top heavy flower, it can be frustrating watching them dive towards the earth. Peonies are classic blooms for this sort of thing: their blousy, beautiful flowers can often overpower their stems. There are plenty of ways of stopping your peonies from drooping down, and peony supports are a good place to start. No Assembly Required Small = Height 60cm, Top Ring Diameter 50cm & Lower Ring Diameter 30cm Large = Height 60cm, Top Ring Diameter 60cm & Lower Ring Diameter 40cm Since they are such early spring growers, it’s best to cut down peonies in the fall after hard frost has killed the foliage. This also helps prevent pests and disease. Simply cut the plant all the way down to the ground.

If you're interested in a bit of DIY, head to our piece on how to make your own plant supports, but if you don't have the time, and you like the trend for metal rusty peony supports, then below is our list of our favourite peony supports.You can use a stake and twine or hoop to keep your peony plants upright as they grow and give them additional support. In early spring, when peony shoots begin to pop through the ground, I make sure to get my peony support rings into the ground so my peonies will have a shoulder to lean on when the weight from their giant blooms begin to emerge. Tomato cages are useful garden tools that encourage plants to grow upward and keep them from prematurely spoiling, as well as prevent premature tomato death. Tomato cages that are designed to grow tall and strong have the greatest advantage over plants that do not grow tall or strong.

Tomato cages allow the plant to grow while also providing support. Heavy fruiting branches require support, and a bountiful harvest will be ruined if tomatoes are overcrowded, drooping, or forming on the ground. The plant can topple over or break completely under its own weight if it is not protected by a cage. When first installed, they will be noticeable and if they are attractive, all the better, but ideally the plant should grow into the structure and be barely noticeable by flowering time. Remove the spent peony flowers as the petals start to turn brown. This will encourage the small buds to open, extending the bloom time. It was a heavier gauge wire than other tomato cages but the others could work as well. After some testing, I will let you know how they work.Vancouver is a very rainy place. I live in a lush green environment pretty well year-round, but I do get lots of gloomy skies to compensate for it. Another factor is because the peony rootball isn’t buried very deep. So stems don’t have a lot of underground support. How to Keep Peonies Upright