A few years ago we planted some giant yellow coneflowers which grow madly each season. They grow so madly in fact, they can’t handle the burden of their own weight. These flowers grow up initially as a big clump. This season, when they reached about 4 feet high, I wrapped some twine around them to keep them from splaying outward.

They’re 7 or 8 feet tall now. My initial twine-job kept them upright until the thunderstorm yesterday afternoon, when gravity took over and the plants began sagging toward ground with abandon. This morning I went out with more twine and wrapped them again. Getting them all back together was a bit of a comedy show, but I managed it. I think next season I’m going to put a couple big stakes firmly in the ground while the plants are young, so I can tie various branches to the stakes in the centre of the clump.