My first response was "with a 7 foot stake"..LOL!
Split the panty hose into strips and tie together...in my opinion panty hose are best for tying up stuff.
I like stakes of natural stuff.....just branches cut off....they blend in better. But in a havey rain I have had flowers steak and all land flat.
Tie them to the posts a few stems at a time so it doesn't look like a bunched up plant.
Or...just wait and hope for no severe storms in the next couple of months....and it they do blow down then tie them up.
Beautiful bed by the way!
Linda C

Gotta. . . WOW! Is that the helianthus in the center? That is GORGEOUS. Do you get seeds from that? :)

I can't help you on staking suggestions but I wanted to compliment you on your beautiful flowers. Very nice combination!

My first response was "with a 7 foot stake"..LOL!
Linda C

Hahahahaha; me too! I was at Lowe's one day, and said to myself that the 8' (I think) might come in handy, so I grabbed 3. Boy, did I need those! I've since purchased a few more since then. I can always throw them in the tomato garden when things get out of control. Pantyhose is a staple in my garden. I don't wear pantyhose as much as I used to (those dressy work days are over, thankfully), so when I do wear a pair, I "pray" that the thumbnail will go through it, just so I can have some more garden ties ;)

What I have done that seems to work well is I placed Rudbeckia Goldstrum around and infront of plants that are tall that like to lean. Goldstrum stands sturdy and tall and doesn't let anything fall forward. So guess you would call it a living stake!

It's worked the past two years and if you have a mature Rudbeckia around you know you got lots of seedlings. Put them to good work.

This method has worked on many plants that I have that like to stretch forward...it keeps them in place and natural looking.

If you put your hand inside the pantyhose and cut on a slant and keep going around, you can get many continuous feet of it from one pair - rather than short segments that have to be tied together. Just roll it up on a stick or TP cardboard tube. It's incredibly strong and it stretches so it won't cut into or scuff up your plants. I use it to tie arbor vitae together when ice does a number on the branches.

I don't really use pantyhose any more so this year I bought a pair just for the garden. [g] I got the taupe color and it blends in so well, you hardly see it at all.

:-)
pm2

Larger nurseries and some of the big box stores sell stakes up to 8'. They are moss green plastic and very unobstrusive. I have all different sizes for different plants.

To attach the stems, I have a roll of narrow green velcro. Just cut off a piece a few inches long and loop it around the stem just above a leaf junction. Several per stem. This is all but invisible and you can reuse all this stuff.

Thanks for all your suggestions.

So I'm not the only one who uses pantyhose :-) I don't wear them anymore (stay-at-home mom now) but I got a huge bag of used (clean) pantyhose at a garage sale. This woman saved them thinking someone might use them for crafts. Who would have thought I would be so excited! Duluthinbloom, that is a great idea to cut them on a slant, I never thought of that but will give it a try.

Hostared, I actually did put r. goldsturm in front of the helianthus this year, because they bloom at the same time and in the same colors. The goldsturm only gets about 30 inches tall, so I don't know if it will support them or not. We'll see how that goes.

So, I guess the verdict is to use pantyhose and tie in smaller clumps. I will experiment with a few different ways and see how it goes. I have 10 posts with 2 kinds of helianthus, rudbeckia herbstonne, and rudbeckia irish eyes.

Threeorangeboys, I do not generally save seed of anything, and helianthus spreads out rather quickly, so I don't need to. If you want some, email me in the fall and I will happily send you a clump for postage.

Thanks for your help.

Hi gottagarden,
The Goldstrum works well for many plants.
If the rudbeckia doesn't hold it back yet you can also slip a stake in there which can be hidden for extra support. After a few years you'll have enough of Goldstrum to support the plants. Your maximillion and helianthus can also be trimmed a few times before you let it go. This may give the plant a bushier and stronger support for it's flowers.
Just a thought. :)

I have used very long stakes (bamboo, metal, sticks, whatever) stuck in the ground in a circle around the plant. Then I use the green plastic stretch tie that you can get for tieing roses, which I tie to one stake, then through the plant to another stake, making kind of a Z shape back and forth, and finally around the perimeter of the circle, tieing it to each stake in turn. I do it about two feet or so off the ground and then about two to three feet higher. It works well and looks fairly natural, although it is a little time-consuming. It's easier to do it before the plant gets so big, but it works either way.

Donnabaskets, THANKYOU!! That was exactly what I was looking for, which is the HOW of tying. Your ideas make sense - A "Z" type staking, and the 2 levels of tying. Now I feel I know what to try. Thanks for posting.

Hostared, I may try trimming some of the helianthus to see what happens. (I'm always experimenting.) The maximillian sunflower doesn't bloom until late September and through October, so I don't dare trim that one back or I wouldn't have blooms before frost.

Thanks again everyone

That is a gorgeous picture - congrats on growing those beauties. Its too late for this year, but a couple of suggestions:
Peony rings with the criss/crossed grid inside the round frame - will hold up the lower stems and the plant grows right through it. you can get these really tall. Tomato cages work also.
Ditto the linking stakes that you sink in the ground and then have like a hook and eye attachment - you can make your circle any size.
wooden stakes or green bamboo and string will loosely hold up the billowing stems and you can get them in place after the flopping starts if you have a helper.

I use 8 ft green bamboo stakes and green garden twine to tie up some things like dahlias, Lilium Black Beauty - 7 footer.
But the very best holder upper I've ever found is the plant itself. If you haven't read Tracy diSabato-Aust's book called the Well Tended Perennial Garden, she describes in great detail how to pinch or prune plants to make the plant more compact and delay blooming. I have started to cut my heliopsis in 3 layers, kind of like a wedding cake - shortest on the outside ring, then another layer that ends up about 4 ft tall. The center is left alone. This doesn't have to be so exact because I want the plant to look relaxed and natural, not rigid and defined, but it does prolong the bloom time and also the outside rings hold up the center on what has become a very large plant.