Fixing Floppy Sedums: 7 Tricks to Try
I love sedums! They fill the late-season garden with bright blooms and succulent leaves. The only downside is their tendency to flop when the blooms get heavy. Don’t worry, as these seven tricks will help you keep the stems upright.
Contents
Most perennials perform well without staking. The exceptions are still worth growing for their gorgeous flowers, despite their tendency to get floppy without structural support. Prize winners, like sedums and peonies, perform their best when they have some help to stay upright.
There are many options for fixing floppy sedums, and there’s sure to be one that works best for you. Formal gardens look best with stylized metal structures, while less formal spaces look better with sticks or branches.
No matter what tricks you use, you can trust these tried-and-true methods to fix your floppy sedums. It’s better to fix them before they bloom than afterwards; however, there are options here for sedums in all stages of growth.
Folding A-Frame Trellis Support For Plants
Folding A-Frame Trellis Support For Plants
Use Linking Stakes
Linking stakes are the best pre-made options out there for fixing flopping sedums. Each piece links to the next, allowing you to make a structure as big or small as necessary. Because they link together, there are a few ways you can use them when fixing the sedums.
I like to arrange the stakes in a circle around the clump. Link them together to form a circle, then have the sedum stems lean against the metal. They’ll stay compact and straight, and they’ll grow well without leaning.
Another way to use linking stakes is on one side of the clump. This works well for keeping sedums out of walkways and borders. Create a wall of stakes linked together, and set them in between the walkway and the sedums. This will prevent them from flopping onto the sidewalk.
Support Individual Stems
If a single stem is floppy, use stem supports instead. These metal contraptions have a single stake, and they have a loop at the top to contain a stem. They won’t fix a floppy clump, but they will help a floppy stem.
Use stem supports as needed throughout the season. When you find a floppy stem, grab the support and stake it into the ground. Then, feed the flowering stem through the loop at the top to keep it upright.
You may keep many stems straight with multiple stem supports. This may look tacky, though, and it’s better to use linking stakes or big structures for fixing entire clumps. These other structures blend in well, whereas stem supports stick out like sore thumbs.
Repurpose Old Sticks
Does your garden have more of a cottage vibe going for it? Rustic gardens look good with natural supports that you can find lying around. Instead of galvanized metal or rustic copper, you may use sticks, stones, and any other objects sitting around the yard.
Sticks bend to your whims. Use a single one and tie a stem to it with plant tape, or arrange many in a row to keep sedums out of pathways. I like to place two sticks crossing each other, then lay the sedum stems in the pocket where they cross.
Sometimes, all you’ll need to do is stick a single stake in the ground to fix a floppy sedum! A diagonal stick can prevent floppy sedums from bending further. If they do bend, simply add more sticks wherever they’re falling.
Try a Trellis
Trellises are meant for tall, rambling plants like blackberries, clematis, and tomatoes. They’re generally not for sedums, though that doesn’t mean you can’t use them. If a trellis is all you have, you may use it to fix a floppy sedum.
Start by placing the trellis behind your sedums. Taking individual stems, arrange the sedums so the plant grows up through the slats on the trellis. You may weave particularly floppy sedums, though simply having them lean against the trellis is enough to help them.
The stems may try flopping after you arrange them. For extra support, tie one or two of them to the trellis. Use plant tape, or a similar non-abrasive material like string or yarn.
Tie Vines Around the Clump
This is a new trick for me. I used this method to hold sticks together for my bean vines to clamber up. For sedums, you may use old vines to support an entire clump.
First, you’ll need old vines that are still bendy and flexible. Use stems if you don’t have vines. Any material that will bend and form a circle will do.
With your sedums in hand, arrange the cut vine around the clumps. Tie the vine to form a circle, and let the stems lean against the vine. You may need more vines at this stage to keep a tight structure. Add them, then test the clump to see if it still falls.
Pinch Sprouts Ahead of Time
Pinching creates compact, dense growth for future blooming successes. It’s not one of those tricks to fix a floppy sedum for immediate support, but it’s a great preventative measure for the future. For next time, use pinching in spring and summer to create flop-proof sedums.
Pinching works in a few ways. First, it shortens the height of the stems. They’re less likely to be floppy when they’re short. Second, it creates two new shoots where one was. In this way, pinching leads to bushy growth that’s less top-heavy than non-pinched specimens.
To pinch, locate long stems in early summer. Pinch them above a leaf junction where two leaves emerge from the stem. Keep the plants well-watered and in full sun, and they’ll rebound with short and strong new growth.
Sedum Success Next Year
While you’re looking for metal contraptions this year, why not source some for next year? Preventative staking is the best method to fix a floppy sedum. Grow-through flower supports allow sedums to stand tall, and their stems cover the metal as they grow.
Simply source some metal flower supports with grids, and set them aside until next spring. Then, when new shoots sprout from the soil, stick the metal into the ground. The stems will grow up through the grid, and the grid will prevent them from growing floppy.
These supports are best for preventative staking. Avoid using them after the plants grow tall, as they may puncture or break the leaves and stems. Opt for individual or linking stakes instead.
Key Takeaways
- Sedum plants are low-growing, mid-sized, or tall. Hybrids like ‘Autumn Joy’ are the ones that benefit most from staking.
- Metal stakes are great to have. They last many years, and you can use them on many other plants like peonies, dahlias, and salvias.
- Are you working with a budget? Don’t buy stakes; use sticks instead. Source some from your yard, or ask your neighbors if they have any.
- While staking sedum clumps this year, prepare for next year so you don’t have any last-minute emergencies.
