Will drastic cutting back help Shasta Daisies, too? i've never ben
able to get strong stems on shastas, but ever so often try again G
Lee h

"gregpresley" wrote in message ...
You have gaillardia and bachelor buttons there. They are more or less
wild-flowers, and in the wild seldom flop much, because the conditions are
so hostile, they don't grow as quickly...
It might be too late now, but if you grow plants like these, or many
varieties of perennials that grow tall, you can buy wire cone-shaped cages
at almost any nursery in the country. Sometimes they are sold as tomato
cages, or as peony hoops, depending on their size. They have wire "feet"
that you push into the dirt to make them stable. Generally, the best plan
is to put them in shortly after the plants emerge as seedlings or send up
new foliage in the spring if they are perennials. If you are VERY patient,
you can try to thread the current stems of the plants you have up through
the center of the hoops, trying not to bend or break the stems as you go,
and the hoops will support the flower stems, while the foliage will push
around the wire, disguising it. However, don't be surprised if about half
the flower stems break during the process (this is bitter experience
talking).......LOL.
The other option at this point would be to cut the plants back pretty
drastically (both of these plants are types that would put out new foliage
and flowers if you did that), and put the hoops down around their bases. If
you use that method, you will lose about 3 weeks of flowering time as they
regenerate from the base).
"Dave Smith" wrote in message
...
I'm a complete novice gardener and i'm having trouble with some flowers.
They grew up straight and tall and had beautiful flowers on top, but
then they flopped over and started growing into a messy tangle. I didn't
know what to do so today I used string to hold them up but it doesn't
look very nice. I'm sure there is a better way to handle this. You can
see the pictures of my problem at the following link. Clicking on the
picture will enlarge it.

http://homepage.mac.com/davecalhoun/PhotoAlbum51.html

Thank you for any advice you are able to offer.

Dave