Sup****ting perennials

Once again the wind and rain have trashed my clumps of rich red
Papaver bracteatum just as they're approaching their best. So
disappointing! There's not a lot I can do about the rain, but I 'm
thinking about staking the clumps. 

But how to do it? Tying them up with string to a single stake with a
'noose' looks just as unnatural as when they've gone 'all abroad'.
Using a cat's-cradle of strings and several stakes doesn't really work
either, as the soft tissue is just cut to pieces by the strings. I'm
wondering about those circular mesh things that are sup****ted on three
or four wire stakes about a foot or so off the ground, put into place
when the plant first starts to grow and the plant encouraged to grow
through the mesh. Has anyone any experience of them? Are they any
good? Are they any better than a cat's-cradle of strings? If they're
worth the effort, I could presumably make my own from some 2-inch mesh
rigid plastic netting and a few stakes. 

-- 
 
Chris

Gardening in West Cornwall overlooking the sea.
Mild, but very exposed to salt gales

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net