Propping

Prepare to prop. Why? Some plants lean to the light. They lean so far they sometimes fall over. Daisies do this as does phlox. Lilies are leaners too. Sometimes the entire garden leans. The larger plants at the back lean forward tilting the guys in front and so on. Here is how to put a stop to this insidious habit.
Take a strong stick about 16 inches to two feet long. Jam it into the ground at an angle. The plants lean on the stick. If necessary, jam in another so it runs the opposite way, making a wide X. This is the quickest way to prop. Bushy plants like shasta daisies, asters, and phlox hide the sticks quite well.
There are many types of plant props available. I bought some metal stakes with sliding loops on them. These work well for lilies. I also bought a group of metal bars that link together to form a cage. These turned out to be more trouble than they are worth. I could not take the trouble to arrange everything at just the same height so that the links would join.

TIP. Collect propping stakes now. They must be strong enough to ram into the soil. A half broom stick (unpainted) works well hammered in. A broken down clothes horse provided me with many strong wooden stakes.