The first of May and, appropriately, I’ve been setting up the Haxnicks Garden Maypole in my garden and dreaming of a summer of sweet peas.
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Regular readers will know I grow a lot of sweet peas among my veg and while I have a few smart obelisks, the majority are grown on haphazard wigwams of bamboo canes and twine. So, the chance to try a garden maypole designed for climbers was welcome.
First impressions were that this was the Tardis of the plant accessory world as the kit came in a surprisingly small, neat box for something that when put together it creates a support frame of 1m across. The initial bed chosen to site it proved too small and we had to have a rethink.
It proved easy to assemble the central pole, although the fact they push together did mean several parted company as we tried to move it into place. Screw together pieces would be the obvious solution but that would probably increase the price – and at £29.99 it’s reasonable. Eventually, we remembered to hold from the bottom piece so it all stayed together.
The next slight issue – once we’d finally chosen a bed – was getting the pegs to stay in place while making the cord taut enough to support the sweet peas. The cord has loops at both ends, one to go onto the decorate top of the maypole and the other to go through a peg that fastens it to the ground. I have very sandy soil and even the presence of mulch meant pegs were easily shifted. Making sure they are angled towards the maypole and not making the string over-taut led to success.
Overall, the garden maypole was easy to assemble, looks far smarter than my usual supports, and is still standing despite some pretty windy conditions over the past couple of days. I’m less happy with the state of the plants, which are definitely sulking because of the lack of sun. I know how they feel.
I’m using the Haxnicks Garden Maypole for sweet peas but it would also work for beans or other climbers. It costs £29.99 but you can get 5% off this or any other Haxnicks product by using the code CHATTYGARDENER. You can see what else is available here. (Please note, if you buy via this link, I get a small commission. The price you pay is not affected.)
You can read more of my product reviews here.
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Mmm… looks a little tricky to put up single handed and obviously takes up quite a bit of space. But I shall be interested to see it covered in sweet peas.
I think you could manage it single-handed. You just need to remember not to pick up the pole from the top.