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Photo Credit: ©2000 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard

When typing a plant to a vertical support, use stretchy, insulated ties that won’t cut through, restrict or otherwise damage the plant’s stem as it grows. Fasten ties loosely to allow the plant to move rather than cinching them tightly to the stake or trellis.

Nothing dresses up a blank wall or shields a dismal view like a beautiful upwardly mobile plant. But those climbers need something to climb on. Even bushy plants like tomatoes and roses need something to give them a little support so they don’t flop over in their planters. Without the right support, your container garden will be limited to wherever the plants can ramble as they spill over the sides of their pots.

The most basic vertical support is the stake or cane – a thin dowel, pole or stake that gives rigid structure to sprawling or immature plants that can’t support their own weight or that have weak stalks that would fail in high-wind conditions. Strings or wires attached between multiple stakes encourage climbers (like jasmine) and tendril growers (like sweet pea) to latch on and leverage themselves upward, then spread laterally down the strings or wires.

When placing stakes or canes in a container, make sure your support is as tall as or taller than the mature height of the plant being supported. Stakes and canes should be put in the potting soil before you plant your container to avoid damaging plant roots. Once your plant begins to grow and lean toward the sun, droops under its own weight or becomes subject to the wind, gently tether it to the support with plastic-coated wire ties, cotton string or stretchy nonadhesive plant tape.

Climbing plants with heavy foliage may need even more stability in the form of a trellis, usually made from thin members of treated wood attached to stakes that are pushed into the soil. Like most supports, trellises provide the basic framework for vines and other climbing plants to grow and spread. With this in mind, the design and dimension of the trellis you select should suit your plant’s growth pattern, as well as the ultimate shape and height the plant is expected to reach. Needless to say, heavy vines such as wisteria require equally sturdy supports. (Wisteria’s vines can reach 2 inches or more in diameter.)