How to Use Hazel Poles for Plant Support

by Ryan Stiff

Hazel poles have been used in British gardens for centuries — and for good reason. They're strong, flexible, biodegradable, and look beautiful when woven. Whether you're growing beans, sweet peas, dahlias, or perennials, the right hazel pole can make all the difference. This guide walks you through everything you need to know.

Why Choose Hazel Poles?

Unlike bamboo canes or plastic stakes, hazel poles are a natural, sustainable choice. Freshly cut hazel is pliable enough to bend and weave, yet sturdy enough to support heavy crops. As they dry, they harden further — giving you a support that lasts a full growing season and often beyond. They're also fully compostable at the end of their life, so nothing goes to landfill.

Hazel is coppiced on a rotation, meaning harvesting it actually encourages the tree to regrow and supports woodland biodiversity. When you buy hazel poles from our Coppiced Hazel range, you're supporting traditional woodland management.

Choosing the Right Size

Getting the diameter and length right is key. Here's a quick guide:

  • Thin & flexible (7mm diameter): Perfect for weaving, wreaths, and light plant support. Our 120cm 7mm hazel whips are ideal for crafting and delicate stems.
  • Medium (12mm diameter): Great for bean poles, pea sticks, and supporting medium-weight perennials. Try our 120cm 12mm flexible bean poles.
  • Sturdy (25mm diameter): Use for robust plant supports, rustic fencing, and hurdle rods. Our 120cm 25mm hazel poles are a bestseller for kitchen gardens.
  • Heavy-duty (50mm diameter): For structural use — corner posts, pergola uprights, or large climbing plants. See our 120cm 50mm round poles.

How to Support Climbing Plants with Hazel Poles

The classic wigwam or teepee structure is one of the most effective and attractive ways to support climbing beans, sweet peas, or cucumbers.

  1. Choose your poles: For a standard wigwam, you'll need 6–8 poles of equal length — 120cm (4ft) works well for dwarf beans; go up to 240cm (8ft) for runner beans or sweet peas.
  2. Mark your circle: Use a cane or string to mark a circle roughly 60cm in diameter on the soil.
  3. Push poles into the ground: Insert each pole at an angle, leaning inward, around the circle. Push them at least 15–20cm deep for stability.
  4. Tie at the top: Gather the tops together and bind tightly with garden twine or a flexible hazel whip. This locks the structure and adds a decorative finish.
  5. Train your plants: Guide young shoots up the poles. Most climbers will take over from there.

Supporting Perennials and Dahlias

For border plants that need a bit of help staying upright — dahlias, delphiniums, peonies — a simple single-stake method works well:

  1. Push a 25mm hazel pole into the ground 10cm from the base of the plant.
  2. Use soft garden twine to loosely tie the main stem to the pole in a figure-of-eight knot. This cushions the stem and prevents chafing.
  3. Add additional ties as the plant grows, every 20–30cm up the stem.

For clump-forming plants like peonies, a ring of 4–5 shorter poles with twine looped between them creates a natural corral that the plant grows through and hides completely by midsummer.

Pea Sticks: The Traditional Method

Pea sticks are one of the oldest forms of plant support in the British kitchen garden. Rather than smooth poles, you use branchy offcuts — the twiggy tops of hazel rods — pushed into the ground around young pea plants. The tendrils grab the branches naturally, and the whole thing looks wonderfully rustic.

Our 60cm 25mm hazel poles are perfect for this, especially if you snap off the side branches to create natural hooks.

Tips for Longevity

  • Fresh-cut hazel is best used within a few weeks of delivery for maximum flexibility if you plan to weave or bend it.
  • Store poles upright in a dry, ventilated space if not using immediately.
  • At the end of the season, pull poles carefully and store them dry — many will last 2–3 seasons.
  • Poles that have rotted at the base can be cut down and reused as shorter stakes.

Ready to Get Started?

Browse our full Coppiced Hazel collection to find the right poles for your garden. All our hazel is freshly cut and dispatched quickly so it arrives in the best possible condition. If you're not sure which size to order, feel free to get in touch — we're happy to help.

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