SPADEWORK 
53 
The most successful method tried so far in 
my garden is one that originated with Evelyn 
Duchess of Wellington, in her charming garden 
at West Green. When the plants, chiefly 
large clumps of tall-growing kinds, are about 
a foot high, a ring of wire-netting, varying in 
circumference and height, according to the 
width and height of the clump, is arranged 
round it, with three stakes threaded in and 
out of the netting and driven firmly into the 
ground. This has the disadvantage of looking 
hideous for a short time, but the plant soon 
grows up, and the leaves and shoots push 
their way through the meshes of the netting 
(necessarily a wide mesh), entirely hiding it 
from view. This seems to make a solid base 
for the clump, completely wind-resisting, and 
looking far more natural than any ordinary 
staking. Three feet was the width of the 
wire-netting used for delphiniums, but the 
size of the ring depends on the size of the 
plant. The wire-netting should be some 
inches away from the plant, and the mesh 
large enough for the leaves to grow through. 
For a large old clump of delphiniums, 3 feet 
through and 3 feet high would not be too 
much. For phloxes it might be 2 feet in 
height, and the width according to the number 
