With the recent spate of stormy weather that has hit the UK it seems timely to write a few tips about how to look after your garden in stormy weather. With the rest of January, February and March to get through before hopefully April brings more spring-like weather there is still plenty of time for more storms to hit our shores so it pays to have a game plan.
Here are a few tips to keep your garden in shape in the event of storms:
* Put all garden furniture in a shed and make sure items such as wind chimes, bird feeders, bins etc are put in a secure place. If you don’t have a shed then put them where they can get a bit of shelter from the winds, maybe at the side of the house
* Bring pot plants and hanging baskets indoors
* Check your drains and guttering for leaves and clear them. Too many leaves could cause your patio to flood
* Check your trees for loose branches and remove them before the wind does!
* Protect new seeds and plants by covering them with some strong plastic covering that is secured well to the ground.
* For plants that look vulnerable lay some extra soil to the base and help protect the roots
Garden maintenance after the storm
Once the storm is over it’s time to inspect the damage. It makes sense to wait until the soil has dried out first and then you can see what needs doing. If one of your plants looks like it has taken a bit of a battering and seems unlikely to recover then check it over completely and see if you can take a cutting from one of the healthier looking stems and hopefully you will be able to grow it again.
Give it a week after the storm before you launch into a big pruning exercise. After a week it will be easier to see which plants are the most damaged and you can cut away the dead material. Some of your plants might need propping up by stakes to make them stable again and you will probably have to lay some more soil on plants where roots have become exposed.
Check your trees again and make sure that any branches that have become damaged are removed and then keep checking the weather forecasts and wait for the next storm to roll in!
At Garden Busters we have many years experience in garden maintenance before and after storms, snow, floods etc so if you need any advice please get in touch.
