Staking keeps flower beds at their best

Sunset, April, 1992 by Kathleen Norris Brenzel

KEEPING FLOPPY OR sprawling plants upright not only makes a garden look well cared for, but also maximizes the impact of a flower border in bloom. The time to stake plants is now, when spring planting begins in earnest.

Here we show seven types of supports, ranging from newly available plastic-coated wire to twiggy prunings. To avoid injuring roots, stake plants when you set them out. As the foliage grows, it will help conceal the supports.

These illustrations are from Perennials, a 112-page Sunset book released this year along with a 96-page book called Annuals. Both publications detail all the techniques that get the most popular garden plants off to a good start and keep them looking their best. They're $8.99 each (plus sales tax for California residents and $2.50 shipping) from Sunset Publishing Corporation, 80 Willow Rd., Menlo Park, Calif. 94025.

Perennials--devoted to nonwoody plants that bloom year after year--starts off with design ideas for maximum color impact. Color illustrations show six perennial borders designed for specific situations, including a summer border for mild climates, a cool blue-and-white border, and an unthirsty border, with planting plans for each.

A section on choosing perennials lists plants for shade, for dry areas, for ongoing flower color, for moist soil, and for containers. A 65-page encyclopedia describes more than 120 perennials.

Annuals--featuring colorful plants that live a year or less--explains how to mix and match these seasonal plants in the garden. It helps you choose them according to bloom cycle, planting situations (full sun, shade, dry areas, or containers), and special uses (cut flowers, fragrance, naturalizing).

A 41-page encyclopedia details more than a hundred annuals. Chapters explain how to grow annuals, how to transplant them and start them from seed, and how to care for them by pinching, deadheading, and staking.