Pinnups Plant Supports

...hand in the form of Pinnups plant supports and you can say goodbye forever to floppy flowers.

For many years I have watched the perennials in my garden shooting up in spring and have told myself to get busy with bamboo canes and string and create a support system for the little beauties. Inevitably the weeks go by and when at last I have got round to making a support the wind and rain have already blown the poor plants around. My attempts ...
...support could be effective. Pinnups caught my eye as with their system the height of the rings can be adjusted as the plant grows.

Pinnups have a comprehensive list of parts that you can purchase and these range from plain or decorative stakes to various sized circles and grids. The clever part of the system is the coupler. This is a small attachment made from polyurethane which allows you to join the stakes to the support rings. ... more

Do your delphiniums droop and your helichrysums hang? If so, rest easy because help is at hand in the form of Pinnups plant supports and you can say goodbye forever to floppy flowers.

For many years I have watched the perennials in my garden shooting up in spring and have told myself to get busy with bamboo canes and string and create a support system for the little beauties. Inevitably the weeks go by and when at last I have got round to making a support the wind and rain have already blown the poor plants around. My attempts at pushing in bamboo canes around the plants results in damaging the tender shoots and roots. Each year I promise myself I will do better but somehow I still fail.

This year is different however as for my birthday in February I was given National Garden Centre vouchers. On looking round our local garden centre I spotted a display of plant supports and was able to compare various makes. The first type I looked at consisted of coated thin metal stakes of various heights to which you fixed different sized rings. The disadvantage of this system was that once in place over the selected plant you had to wait for the plant to reach the desired height before any support could be effective. Pinnups caught my eye as with their system the height of the rings can be adjusted as the plant grows.

Pinnups have a comprehensive list of parts that you can purchase and these range from plain or decorative stakes to various sized circles and grids. The clever part of the system is the coupler. This is a small attachment made from polyurethane which allows you to join the stakes to the support rings. They have three holes. The centre hole fits tightly onto the stake and the two holes either side allow you to insert the stake prong into it. The coupler can then move up and down the stake taking the grid with it. The idea is that you can start with the grid just a few inches off the ground and as the plant grows you move the grid up with it.

The simplest product is a circle. Literally a ring of metal which can be opened and placed around the plant and thus preventing any damage. The 16 inch circle costs £3.39.

The half circle and one third circles allow the supports to grow with your plant. If like me you don’t always split your perennials they can grow into rather large clumps. Bu using 3 one third circles you can create a 32 inch enclosure!

I personally like the grids which come in various diameters ranging from 12 inch to 24 inch circles. These allow the plant to grow up between the struts and offer even more support than the circle.

If you have plants that overhang your borders you can buy decorative scalloped edging which will gently hold back your unruly plants. This can also be very handy when cutting the grass as they can keep plants off the lawn. The price of a 40 inch length is £3.39.

I have bought the standard stakes and the 30 inch costs £3.29 and the 40 inch £3.49. The length of the stakes goes up in stages to a maximum of 70 inches. If you prefer a more decorative stake then you can buy stakes which have a wrought iron rosehead on the top. Each stake comes with a sliding coupler. Gardens can be dangerous places and bamboo canes can cause eye injuries if you bend over them and fail to take care with the sharp ends. I have used plant pots on the ends of the canes and this can be effective until the wind blows them off. Pinnup stakes have a bakelite round knob on the top which would protect your eye from potential injury.

All the products are made from heavy duty galvanised steel and are powder coated. I’m not quite sure what powder coating means but suffice it to say all the products have a smooth green surface. The stakes are much thicker than other brands I saw and I am impressed by their sturdiness and feel that they will last for many years.

I love the simplicity of the system and at the end of the season they can be stored away very easily and in a small space too ready for the next growing season. Sadly this does come at a price but I have decided to build up my collection of Pinnups each year. Hopefully my relatives will continue to buy me garden vouchers for my birthday and I can gradually increase my stock of plant supports.

The Pinnups plant supports are made by Peacock in Holland and are available in garden centres.

 

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