By Marjorie Vendrig, Master Gardener in Training

Gardeners and municipal services in Peterborough and areas hit by the ice-storm are busy picking up the broken branches and limbs and using them for city compost and recycling programs.

Another use for some of this wood might be found in our own gardens, repurposing them for use as stakes and supports. The timing for the ice storm was perfect; the broken branches are young and supple and without leaves so they can be bent easily and shaped to suit needs. Small branches can be bent or twisted to create low supports for perennials or annuals that become leggy as the season progresses or to prop up flowers as the plants bloom. Heavier and longer branches can be used as poles for teepees in vegetable gardens for beans and peas or for climbers such as sweet peas and clematis.

British and European gardeners have historically avoided plastic and metal as garden supports, instead ‘pea sticks’ are the norm. Pea sticks are usually coppiced hazel branches, but any young pliable wood will work.  Birch, lilac, red dogwood, along with oak and maple twigs and branches are at the top of the list, willow is popular as well but it tends to root and sprout – an advantage or disadvantage depending on where and how it is used. In some cases, a branch with lots of twigs and small growth is the best choice as the plant will grow under and over the branches.  In in other instances the small twigs might appear messy and a visual distraction.  When selecting your sticks, it’s important to take into account your garden aesthetic – are you going for the scrambling abundance of a country garden, or the formal structure of a classic retreat? Sarah Raven, a well-known British gardener has taken things a step further and made an effort to use only native wood when creating plant supports for her vegetable gardens.

In the ice-storm clean up, I collected a few branches for use as supports. My sweet pea seedlings are ready to plant outside, they’ll be perfect growing up and around the broken branch of a very special cornus Kousa, a sad loss from the storm. The long stem on the bottom is cut off at a sharp angle to be pushed into the soft spring soil as deep as possible.  The spread of the small twigs and branches will be close to the ground within easy reach of the seedlings planted around the base where they will quickly grow up and through the twigs and branches. Clematis would also do well on this structure and it’s likely strong enough to withstand several seasons. The popular annual mandevilla vine is another good choice as a climber. All add vertical interest to garden design.

My scrambling cotoneaster became too leggy and suffered a lot this winter. It’s now had a hard prune and I am using the cut offs to create small branch cages around some perennials. Yarrow, nepeta, tradescantia, and phlox are good candidates for this simple approach. Four or more long branches, each about 3’ long and with a similar diameter were chosen.  The new spring growth from the cutoffs will soon turn brown so I snipped off the new

growth and twigs, then pushed the thick end of each branch into the soil about 6” from its base, repeating this at the other three corners, to create four points of a box around the plant. The upright ends of the branches are then bent into hoops towards the opposite corner and wound around one another to create a hoop. More support is provided at the front where the plant flops towards the sun. I’ve made the hoop about 2/3 the final height of the plant and should be able to increase the height a bit by untwisting the ends a bit, if necessary.  At the end of the season, I’ll leave the hoops in place if they are sturdy enough for another season or add them to the compost pile.

My technique is very much that of a beginner; I expect I’ll refine things with more practice. Even still, the natural wood hoops are more appealing than  a plastic pole with string around it. In formal gardens in the UK, I have seen cages of plant supports that are works of art in themselves. It all takes time and patience.

References

Sarah Raven, Using Native Wood Structures (Retrieved May 7, 2025)

Types of Woodland Management, (Retrieved May 7, 2025)

Longfield Gardens, DIY Plant Supports, (Retrieved May 9, 2025)

Gardens Illustrated, How to Make your Own Plant Supports and Protection That Are Easy, Cheap and Full of Charm, (Retrieved May 8, 2025)