Many garden plants grow best with support, including vines, ornamental flowers and some vegetable plants. Trellises and stakes are two of the more common support choices available. Both have benefits in the garden. Choosing which one to use depends on the needs of the plant and your goals for the garden bed. Does this Spark an idea?
Ornamental Value
Generally, a trellis provides a more attractive structure in the garden than the standard wooden stake. Wrought-iron and lattice trellises are attractive even before the plants cover them, while a wooden stake has minimal aesthetic value. Utilitarian trellises, such as bean netting, do not have the same ornamental value as the decorative varieties. Stakes primarily provide ornamental value only when they are well camouflaged within the plant, such as the thin wire stakes used to support peonies. These are all but invisible once the plant reaches full size so they do not compete with plant for ornamental value.
Plant Benefits
Some plants grow better on a trellis structure, while others require staking. Vines that grow by sending out grasping tendrils or winding up a support generally benefit more from the upward growing room provided by a trellis. Plants with upright stems and heavy fruit or flowers, but no clinging vines, typically require tying to a single stake. These plants include tomatoes, asters and peonies. The stake is only needed to support the stem and not provide purchase for the plant to grow upward.
Choosing Stakes
Stakes are best in utilitarian gardens, such as vegetable beds, where space is at a premium. Use them primarily with non-climbing plants to provide additional support if the stem is in danger of breaking or falling over. Stakes also take up less room than a trellis structure in a vegetable garden, making them a superior choice for some vine vegetables such as peas and beans. Stakes are also the least intrusive option for supporting plants in lush ornamental beds where the surrounding foliage camouflages the stakes.
Choosing a Trellis
Use a trellis in areas where a screen of climbing vines is preferred. Trellises work especially well near outdoor seating areas where they provide some shade and privacy even when the plants are dormant. Trellises are also the better choice in larger vegetable garden beds where you are growing a full row of climbing plants. Trellises are typically permanent structures, so do not use them in beds where you must remove the support structures each year.
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