Make affordable supports for your garden flowers with this easy tutorial and tomato cage hack.
Happy Wednesday!
I have an easy DIY for my gardener friends. . .
Flower Supports from a Tomato Cage!
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The inspiration for this DIY came from Jardin Half-Round Plant Supports
I spied at Gardener’s Supply Company
to prop up drooping flowers and to keep your flower beds and borders tidy.
I loved the look as well as the functionality,
but not the price tag, at $30+ for a set of two.
I had a bee in my bonnet after seeing them and wondered
if I could repurpose a $4 tomato cage as a plant support. . . ?
I started with a heavy-duty 54-inch galvanized steel tomato cage.
Tomato cages also come powdered coated in colors which you could use
as a bright accent and colorful plant support if you prefer.
I purchased a 14-inch bolt cutter for less than $20.
No hand strength required with the bolt cutters,
which made cutting through the steel rings super easy!
Start by cutting your tomato cage in half lengthwise.
Use your bolt cutters and cut where the rings are joined to the vertical supports
on the tomato cage (where the arrows are).
I kept the second set of rings in tact (note the diagram, from the bottom of the tomato cage)
as I decided I needed a pair of taller supports.
I ended up with 3 sizes and 6 supports total from one tomato cage. . .
Not exactly like the Jardin half-round supports, but easier on the wallet,
even after purchasing the bolt cutters.
I cut the middle pieces off the tallest supports (see ‘x’ on diagram above)
but you could leave them if you prefer.
They’re handy for supporting leaning zinnias. . .
And supporting the cleome that has gotten a leggy by mid-summer.
The cleome is still abuzz with bees and butterflies. . .
This little bird was watching my every move as I was placing
my supports and photographing the cleome.
I highly recommend planting zinnias by seed!
These ‘Cut and Come Again’ Zinnias came up with no effort on my part other than daily watering.
I had no idea growing zinnias from seed would be *sow* easy!
They bloom all summer until our first frost in November and are butterfly and bee magnets.
And if you’re looking for an easy to grow, low maintenance shrub for your garden that will provide you
with beautiful cut and dried flowers too, see my Public Service Announcement:
Plant a Limelight Hydrangea…or Five
It’s sweltering here this week, I hope you’re staying cool
and finding a way to beat the heat! ♥
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Thank you for your visit, sharing with:
Metamorphosis Monday
Mary, what a great idea and thanks for the tutorial. I will have to share this with my gardener (aka the hubby)! Your zinnias and cleome are beautiful. Happy Wednesday!
What a terrific idea, Mary! I learn from you every visit!!! It’s been hot and humid here too. I don’t venture out to do much as I find it difficult to breathe. I’ll take the cool AC! I’m having bloom envy with those gorgeous zinnias. I need to try growing a zinnia plot! Zinnias are the perfect cut flowers to bring in for the summer days. Love their bright, beautiful colors. Stay cool and have a happy August!
I luv “changing up”…creative juices!! franki
Great idea ! Especially after all the storms we have been having. Love your gardens !
Great idea!! Thank you!! I so enjoy your garden virtually every year.
April
Necessity is mother of invention…great idea!!!
Great idea!!! Thanks so much!
Thanks for the money saving tip!!!
Smart!
What a fabulous idea!
That’s a great idea, I use rebar for everything, plus the major benefit to that is dragonflies love pointy things, I have hundreds of dragonflies in my garden and every single piece of rebar is topped with orange, green and blue dragonflies, so much so I thought I should make a forest of rebar to enjoy them!
Very good idea!!! I have used the cages for flower support but not cut them apart!! Thank you…and our cool down is here..maybe it’ll make it to you soon!! 🌺🌼🌸
What a wonderful idea. Will be pinning & using this! Your flowers are so healthy & the bees & butterflies are enjoying them. Love the bird shot; a mini supervisor! Have a great day and stay cool! Clara💕
Thank you so much for this wonderful tip! The garden is looking a little droopy in this heat even after watering.
What a great project! I was just looking out at my flower beds yesterday and wondering how I could prop them up so the lawn guys don’t hit them with the weed wacker. Wonderful solution – thanks!!!
I have been using these for a long time. I buy up tomato cages at the end of the season when they are clearanced. I cut the tall ones down into 2 or 3 circles and use them on my peonies. I had not thought about the half circles for the side of a bed. Great idea.
Fantastic idea! Thanks, Mary, you are amazing.
Oh my word, what a great idea. I will be picking up my tomato cages this week. :)
What a smart girl you are! Now that is a terrific idea. I have some long poles that have a loop at the top to hold up individual plants, but this is far better. Thank you and pinning! 🌞🦋🌼🐝
Great idea, i would add a quick coat of green paint to help them blend in.
I’ve used these cages about a thousand ways! This way as well — word to the wise, buy some rustoleum, spray thoroughly, then coat in a poly — why — because they rust and decay and your investment in time & $ by next season you are doing it again. So a quick color and poly to protect, when the season is over a quick rinse off. Dry and stack in with bubble wrap. They don’t get banged around & neither with its neighbors.. when I use this form of the cage , I string wee white fairy lights along, set up with solar and a remote. Come into the garden and turn on the magic. !!! You can plant a moon garden (white flowers) and it’s just breathtaking to smell the fragrance, see the wee twinklings
..
You can cut only the feet off and you can stack to make a clematis arbor. You can stack to cover in fake greenery and lights for the holidays. Always remember to paint and poly first.
Places like Walmt. Have the plain silver for$4 but colors are double. They would still need to be poly tho. So the $4 is the better deal.
Fantastic idea! I hate droopy flower beds. I just planted some flowers that will definitely need these next year. I’ll buy the cages on the end of season clearance and hopefully remember why next summer!
~Mary ~
You are soooo smart !! Thanks for sharing !!
Stay Cool
Paula
IN
What a creative and inexpensive version of the supports you’ve figured out, Mary! How pretty all your posies look in your garden. The bees look happy, too. ♥️😎♥️
You are so smart! I bought some of the green ones made by Gardman last year at my garden center to keep my tall coneflowers from flopping into the grass. But yours are so much smarter and I love repurposing!
What a great idea Mary!! This will work wonderfully for my hydrangeas especially after it rains. They are always falling over and laying on the ground. Thanks so much for sharing this.
Great idea. I have stacks of tomato cages in the shed. So many flowers are drooping now, especially the speedwell, Hope you are well!
A great idea Mary! Your gardens are still looking pretty, things are beginning to look a little… tired here. Have a great week:@)
This is such a great idea!!! I’m doing this tonight! Thanks Mary!
Very clever Mary, and your photos are paintings!! Gorgeous!
Jenna
I needed this idea for my raspberries this year. I had such a great crop, but so many of them were dragging on the ground and we have cottonwoods which shed tons of cotton and it sticks to the berries! Thanks for sharing this great tip.
Need these for my daisies! Great idea!! Thanks so much for sharing!!!💕
After reading about using the tomato cages I decided to check out the link of the Gardener’s Supply. And you’re right, this company is laughing all the way to the bank each week on their “supports”. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if these “supports” weren’t manufactured by the same companies who do tomato cages. The grow-thru ones I bet, at least the tops, most likely could be created at home with the legs of a tomato cage and a few wire clothes hangers. I can’t stand those anyway and always do something else with them like give them back to the cleaners or recycle them. Just to show how OVERLY priced this company runs, what tightwads they are……they had one of their products on sale. Original Price $39.95. Sale Price $38.89. OH GIVE ME A BREAK! Really, THAT’S the best you can do? I take it they have never heard about “lost leaders” which is a marketing tool. It reminds me of places that have a sale or a discount or a coupon and you get a WHOPPING 5 percent off, I’ve even seen as low as 2%. Seriously? It’s not worth my effort. Anything less than 20% is an insult to customers unless we’re talking very high cost items. But enough of them. I’ve actually never had much trouble with most of my flowers drooping, especially zinnias. I LOVE zinnias. They make such a beautiful cutting flower but I almost love them more in masses in the garden. And for the tomato cages, if the flowers are tall enough, a person wouldn’t have to even alter or convert them if they didn’t want to take the time. I’m wondering if they were painted a leafy green if it would help to disguise them amongst the flowers.
Mary et al.
One other suggestion is to use the zinnia variety ” Benary’s Giants” these are the best tall zinnias I have found. They are stiff, erect, and robust and actually need no supports. In addition they are totally disease free, no powdery mildew, and they reseed for next year with a vengeance, and true to their bold non-fading colors too. I order them from Johnny’s Seeds but you can find them in other catalogs too.
Also the half-height circular tomato cages (unit) work well for potted annuals too.
This half-cage idea is a great way to support the periphery of a bed of tall annuals.
thanks for great ideas.
—seedpath
Awesome Tim! Thanks for letting me know, I look forward to ordering some 🌸