How to Storm-Proof your Garden

Forget about cold; wind is a gardener's worst enemy. When storms and gales hit, they can uproot centuries-old trees, redistribute garden buildings and trash your treasured plants. There's nothing you can do in the eye of a storm apart from cross your fingers, but if you observe the weather forecast and take a few precautions, you and your garden should come out the other side unscathed. 

1. Keep a weather eye

18th-century sailors would constantly watch the horizon for changing weather that could threaten their ship, giving rise to the adage 'keep a weather eye'. These days, with multiple sources of weather information, we're likely to pay closer attention to Apps than cloud formations, but the principle remains the same. When a storm hits, damage to people and property can be caused by objects not designed to fly through the air, including garden tools, empty pots, hose reels, dustbins, play equipment, and garden furniture.

If you spot a storm warning for the area where you live, heed the advice given and monitor the speed of the gusting wind rather than the regular wind speed. It's these gusts that cause most harm, often coming out of nowhere. I recommend taking precautions if the gusting wind speed exceeds 40mph, which is enough to lift a light, unsecured structure off the ground. Wind is classed as storm-force if it gusts between 55 mph and 63 mph.

Wind directions also matter. Rather than noticing that it's occasionally a bit windy where you live, it's worth understanding which wind directions are most harmful. I'll use my situation as an example:

I live in East Kent, with a direct view east over the English Channel towards Belgium. When the wind blows from the east, the air is cold and laden with salt and sand. However, my front garden is a courtyard surrounded by walls. Three large, evergreen trees along the boundary diffuse even the strongest gales. Together, these barriers don't stop the cold seeping in, but they have, thus far, minimised any storm damage at the garden level. If gales blow in from the West, they are blocked by the house and a terrace of houses behind us, rendering them barely noticeable. Sadly, that's where the good news ends! High winds from the north or south can be devastating, as air is funnelled between neighbouring buildings across the front of our house and through the garden. The wind careers over boundaries like a spooked horse at a steeplechase, creating a commensurate amount of havoc. All attempts to diffuse the wind from either direction have failed, and I can't move the buildings, so I have to accept my fate.

Your circumstances will be entirely different, but it's worth being aware of which wind directions are most damaging so that you don't plant your prize-winning specimens where they'll bear the brunt of a storm.

2. What harm can wind do?

Let's start with plants. If you're in an exposed or coastal area, you will not be phased by a bit of wind. Established plants in your garden will have adapted by growing shorter or stockier than they might in a sheltered spot, or by sending their roots down deeper. However, some plants will steadfastly curl up their toes if regularly buffeted about. At best, they'll look unhappy, and at worst, they may die. As those of us alive in 1987 will recall, no plant is safe in hurricane-force winds (74 mph+).

Scorch - The least harmful symptom of wind damage is leaf scorch, evidence of which includes crisp brown leaf edges and entirely frazzled shoots. Scorching occurs when the wind takes moisture from a plant's foliage faster than the plant can draw water up to replace it; the crisp, brown areas are an irreversible sign of dehydration. It's unlikely wind scorch will kill a plant unless it happens repeatedly, so that the plant can't photosynthesise and support itself. If wind scorch occurs early in the year, new shoots often form to replace the damaged ones.

Rock - wind rock is highly damaging and may be hard to spot. It happens when plants aren't well anchored into the ground, particularly affecting those with shallow roots or that have recently been planted. As the top of the plant sways in the wind, the base churns around like a wooden spoon in a bowl of porridge, dislodging or even breaking the roots. As if the physical damage isn't enough, water may then pool around the bottom of the plant and saturate the loosened soil, causing it to rot.

Break - during the worst storms, branches may break, and shrubs and trees can be uprooted. Often, the damage is irreversible, but if your plant remains upright and stable, a professional gardener or arborist may be able to save it with careful pruning and future management. Before going to great lengths to save a storm-damaged tree, consider the opportunity that removing it might present. Should the tree be protected in any way, you must seek expert advice before taking action.

Now for everything else, it's time to ......

3. Batten down the hatches

• Put vulnerable items in a secure shed or garage if you can; otherwise, move them to a sheltered spot behind a wall, fence or hedge. Be aware that side passages and narrow spaces between buildings can act as wind tunnels. 
• Barbecue and furniture covers can be ripped off and deposited some distance away, so secure these with bungee cords or remove them temporarily. Trampolines can cause significant disruption if blown onto roads or railway lines, and should be firmly tethered or stored safely.
• Cloches, fleece and other forms of winter plant protection may be torn from the plants they were intended to protect, so pin or tie these down as best you can. During very high winds, coverings may increase the chance of damage by acting like a sail. You can use old bricks or broken paving stones to weigh down the edges of mulch matting.
• Strong winds may topple pots and containers of any size, so bunch them together and ensure they are well-watered before the storm hits to make them heavier. If you use pot feet or pedestals to elevate your containers, move them onto a flat surface for added stability.
• Move pots or statuary that might topple away from glass windows and doors, including greenhouses and conservatories.
• Window boxes and hanging baskets should be placed on the ground where they cannot fall on anyone. If in doubt, move it: the aggravation and distress caused by broken glass or smashed terracotta is not worth the gamble.
• If you have a pond, cover it with netting or chicken wire to prevent detritus from blowing in. During the autumn and winter months, organic material does not break down as fast as in summer, resulting in toxic ammonia build-up and making the pond water too acidic. Heavy rain will help dilute any toxins, but the problem is best avoided in the first place.

4. Make good and mend

• Check your shed roof for missing felt and patch up where possible. Driving rain will seep through any gaps in the fabric of garden buildings and may damage the timber structure or its contents.
• If your garden fence has loose panels, secure these immediately with screws or nails: there’s nothing worse than having a whole border annihilated by 6 square feet of flying timber!
• Make sure shed doors and greenhouse windows are firmly closed and secured.
• Clear debris from drains and monitor them carefully during storms—blocked drains can cause flooding, potentially damaging property and plants. If your home may be at risk, position sandbags to divert excess water elsewhere.

5. Remove excess growth

• Evergreen trees and shrubs are most susceptible to winter storm damage. Thin or lift their crowns if at all possible, and remove branches that are touching property or boundaries - when flailing about in a storm, they can easily break glass, rip off a gutter or harm someone.
• Lop or saw off any dead or damaged limbs that might fall and crush something or someone. If you don’t feel confident doing the work yourself or don’t have the right equipment, call in a professional arborist.
• Shrubs and trees in exposed locations should be temporarily staked using ties that allow flexibility. Don’t secure a trunk so firmly that it cannot bend slightly in the wind – there is a possibility it will simply snap rather than flex.
• If you have not pruned roses, buddleia or lavatera ahead of winter, do it as soon as possible. Wind rock can be highly damaging to tall, woody plants, snapping their roots and creating a hole around the base of the plant, which may fill with water. The less material above ground, the safer these plants will be.
• Trees and shrubs you’ve planted in the last few months may not be firmly anchored in the ground by their roots - secure them to garden canes or surround them with strong twigs until they’re better established.

6. Safety first

• Safety should be your priority. When gardening in windy weather, protect your eyes with goggles, your hands with gauntlet gloves and your feet with sturdy boots. It’s no fun being flailed by a wayward climbing rose or hit by a flying object. Do not attempt to rescue a situation unless it is 100% safe to do so. Sit tight and deal with it when the wind drops. Remember that your neighbours may not be as diligent as you, meaning airborne debris could come at you from any angle, including above.
• If you are determined to venture out, remember that many public gardens, parks, and arboreta will close if there is a risk of injury from falling trees or branches. I reccomend staying indoors, snuggling up on the sofa and enjoying a good book until the storm has blown itself out.

7. Consider the long term

If you have an urban, coastal, exposed, or elevated garden, you'll be all too familiar with the damaging effects of wind. Many notable gardens, such as Tresco on the Isles of Scilly and East Ruston Old Vicarage in Norfolk, exist in their current form only because their owners and previous owners have thought long-term about creating shelter.

In gardens of any size, it’s wise to use permeable barriers to filter the wind rather than erect solid defences that may be damaged by wind. In extensive gardens, you can plant a shelter belt of trees and shrubs, reducing wind speed for some distance inside the garden. In very exposed areas, it is worth seeking out wind-resistant species, and by the coast, they should be salt-resistant too. Tamarisk, pine, oleander, griselina and holm oak are good plants to look for.

If you move into a home with a windswept garden, creating shelter must be your top priority; without it, all your efforts will be thwarted. Planting a shelter belt may not sound glamorous, but it will pay you back in the long term.

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