If you are trying to grow A perfect sun perennial for a gorgeous year-round gardenPeonies (Paeonia spp.) are likely to be at the top of your list. With their deep green leaves and large, fluffy flowers, peonies make a beautiful addition to most gardens. However, if you know How to grow peoniesYou may see some floppy stems and drooping flowers. That’s naturally because of how heavy their flowers are, but they’re not particularly pretty. Fortunately, you can keep your peonies straight by rearranging and placing tomato cages around them.
Tomato cages are designed to prevent tomato plants from falling over, and will work for your peonies as well. The stems and flowers can rest against the frame of the tomato cage, allowing them to stay upright without extra effort or expense. While there are peony-specific cages and stakes, tomato cages are readily available, inexpensive, and easy to modify. If you’ve grown tomatoes in the past, you may already have a few cages ready.
Tomato cages can vary, but there are a few distinctive things to look for. If you already have a used one, check for damage and heavy rust. You don’t want to use a cage that will fall apart and stunt your peonies. When purchasing a new tomato cage, consider what types of peonies you have in your garden and how tall they will grow. Most peonies only grow a foot or two tall, and while tree peonies can get quite tall, they usually don’t need extra support. Taller peonies, such as herbaceous peonies that can grow up to 4 feet, are the ones that usually need support. If you have multiple plants, a tall cage that can be used to create multiple supports is ideal.
Working in a tomato cage for your peonies
Start by using wire or bolt cutters to clip the cage into sections. Each section needs at least one horizontal ring to support the flowers and a vertical wire extending away from it to serve as legs. They should be about a foot wide to give the peony enough room to grow. If you have some narrow sections near the ends of your tomato cage, you can reuse or recycle them. At the beginning of the growing season, place vertical wires straight into the soil around your peony plant and push them down so that the circle sits roughly below the height of your peony. As the peonies grow you will need to adjust them as it is impossible to predict exactly how tall they will be.
While your peony support is technically done, there are a few other things you can adjust to make it more suitable for your garden. If your tomato cage is looking rough and you want to dress it up, you can cover it in a layer of outdoor paint. Just make sure to paint it on a tarp or dropcloth so you don’t get paint on your pennies. You can also try making this DIY tomato cages And adjust the height to fit the peony better.
You can also give your peonies more support. Peony supports often have a grid to keep the stems upright and provide extra resting space for the flowers. You can use wire, cord or twine to create a uniform grid on top of the ring. However, this will only work if your peonies are still young. Once they bloom, the flowers won’t fit in the grid, so you’ll have to rely solely on the cage.
