Aside from having many stunning varieties in a myriad of colors, adding peonies (Paeonia spp.) to your garden is great for decoration and easy growing. Peonies are cold weather-hardy perennials that can remain healthy and thrive through winter. Remarkably, they can also sometimes last up to 100 years. That’s not to say even the most expert gardener couldn’t make common mistakes when growing peonies, such as overwatering or not giving them enough sunlight. One of the biggest problems when growing peonies is their tendency to fall over, especially early in their development, which is why you’ll want to try out this easy hack to keep them upright. Try using fallen branches or bamboo as stakes instead of traditional store-bought stakes, and say goodbye to fallen peonies!

While garden stakes aren’t always the most beautiful to look at, there are plenty of DIY garden stakes that bedazzle your garden or creatively incorporate stained glass to make your backyard stand out. However, we know these hacks might require extra time and cash, whereas fallen tree branches offer a more natural appeal and can be found in your own backyard for free.

While it may sound unusual, using fallen branches from your yard as peony stakes is a hack people have been using for other garden plants like vegetables as well. Peonies need support because the blooms are often larger than the stems, and stormy weather can leave them upside down. There are four popular methods for staking peonies: cages, corrals, netting, and rings. Fallen branches might be best for methods that utilize a circular grid atop four stakes so they can grow through the space and remain upright. This means adding your stakes when peony shoots are around six inches tall. Subsequently, you can use corraling methods for restraining older peonies. 

We recommend choosing branches that are your desired thickness and trimming them with pruning shears to remove twigs or leaf buds. A few types of branches that work well if you have them include birch and aspen shoots. Don’t forget to keep a piece of twine around so you can tie branches in your desired shape. Additionally, it’s best to avoid branches that are curled, thin, or already breaking. 

If you don’t live in an area with access to fallen trees, bamboo is another natural DIY peony support alternative that might be better suited to larger or older peonies because of how sturdy it is. Place bamboo stakes at the center of the plant, tie a ball of twine to the stake, then use twine to wrap around sections of peony stems and pull them closer to the stake — similar to the spines of an umbrella.