How to Protect Your Garden from Storms and High Winds

As we enter storm season, you must know how to protect your plants from bad weather. You won’t be able to save every plant, but if you have a foul weather plan, you will know how to give your plants a fighting chance.

Heavy Rains

Heavy rains can cause several problems. Pounding rain can break the stems of young plants. If you have row covers, you can cover the young plants and keep the rain from pounding them into the soil. The rain pounding on the soil can cause a crust to form on the soil that tiny seedlings cannot penetrate. The crust repels water, too. As soon as the soil on the top has dried, rake the surface lightly with a garden rake to break the crust. Be careful not to rake deeply because you can damage the plant’s roots.

Plants will develop fungal diseases if the rain continues for several days or weeks. When things start to dry out, check all your plants for fungus. You can apply fungicide to the plants between rains but must reapply it after each rain. Depending on the plant, preventative fungicides can be applied to keep problems from growing that are hard to see.

Standing Water

Standing water can cause roots to rot, especially if the water lasts a few days. The best solution to this problem is to fix the drainage problem that is causing the standing water. If you need the water to stand for 24-48 hours as part of a rain garden, pick plants that can withstand up to 48 hours of standing water but can also do well when there is no standing water. Some good plants for rain gardens are cardinal flower, yarrow, blue flag iris, and purple coneflower.

Flooding goes beyond standing water to covering your garden. If the flood waters recede quickly, there will be some damage, but many plants will survive. If the flood waters cover the landscape for more than that, you will lose many plants. Some trees, such as red maple, river birch, and oak species, can survive floods.

High Wind

Winds can shred leaves, break branches, damage flowers, and fling fruit to the ground. Most wind damage happens when the wind exceeds 30 miles an hour. Wind also wicks moisture out of the plant. In extreme cases, the plant loses more water than the roots can draw up, making the plant wilt.

After the storm, prune off broken branches and stems. Wait to remove torn and bruised leaves until new growth is doing well. Removing foliage right after the storm means the plant cannot photosynthesize enough energy to repair itself.

Check where the prevailing winds come from and where the winds are strong enough to push the plant over. Plant wind-resistant shrubs like Green Giant Arborvitae at right angles to break the wind and shelter tender plants. If you want plants vulnerable to the wind but don’t want to plant windbreaks, plant them where buildings shelter the plant from the wind.

Hail

Hail damage can be minor, with a few bruised leaves, or significant, with broken stems and branches. If just the leaves are bruised, the plant will probably recover. If the stems are broken, the plant won’t recover, and you should replant. A stiff row cover can protect your plants if your flower beds and vegetables are set up for row covers. The row cover should not touch the plant and needs 2-3 inches of air space before the plants start to help much.

After a hailstorm, remove debris and any broken stems. Leave all the foliage, even if it is bruised or torn. You can remove it after the new leaves are opened.

Leaning Plants

Lants can lean because the wind has pushed them over or the soil is so saturated that the roots can’t hold the plant upright. Perennials will start growing up again when the sun comes out, so they will be okay. Shrubs and young trees that are small enough can be staked or replanted. If your mature tree is leaning, contact an arborist to come and evaluate whether the tree can be saved. If a large tree is lying down on the ground, it will die. Cut it up for firewood or do something else with the wood.

Pruning

Proper pruning can help your trees withstand high winds. Prune weak, dead, or broken branches off of the tree. Prune to open the canopy so that wind can pass through easier and won’t push the tree over. If the tree is large, contact a certified arborist to prune it.

After the Storm

When it is safe, walk over your yard and evaluate the damage to your plants. Be aware that floods frequently contain raw sewage and large quantities of debris. Wear gloves, long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, closed-toe shoes, and a hat to protect yourself.

First, remove all the debris and mulch you can. When the debris is removed, you will be able to see the damage to your plants better, and the ground will dry faster.

Wash the flood residue off all the leaves and stems. After the ground dries out, check each plant for damage. Prune broken branches and stems away. Wait on other pruning until the proper season.

Don’t work with wet soil. It compacts the soil and collapses the spaces for air and roots. When the landscape beds have dried to their regular soil moisture, you can replace the mulch you removed and start watering usually again.

Moving Forward

If the storm occurs in the fall or winter, you may have to wait until spring to tell what plants have survived. Wait until the summer to remove dead plants that are not a safety hazard. If they haven’t started growing by then, they probably won’t. Consider replacing the dead plants with native plants. They support more wildlife and are easier to care for. There is a native plant for every place in your landscape.