Whether you live in a coastal area that is prone to hurricanes or have suffered damage to your garden from heavy storms, choosing plants wisely and using a few helpful strategies can help prepare your plot for extreme weather events.
Before the Storm
When high winds and drenching rains are in your forecast, remember to bring container plants inside along with outdoor furniture. Check on plant supports, row covers, and low tunnels to be sure they are held securely. Do a visual scan of all your beds and borders for loose edging, statuary, or other hard objects that could be tossed in the wind. Check that downspouts on your home and outbuildings are not blocked so excess rain can drain away and not flood your garden.
Wind-Resistant Plants
Perennials vs Annuals
Flowers, trees, and shrubs that come back every year develop deeper and wider root systems than annuals. That makes perennials better able to survive in windy gardens.
Small Blossoms
Varieties with many clusters of tiny flowers recover and begin blooming again more readily than varieties with fewer, bigger flowers.
Flexible Stems
Wind-tolerant plants sway and bend in a strong breeze but don’t snap off.
Clump Forming
Perennials that grow in clumps intertwine their roots, helping them to hold tight in gusty conditions.
Growing Low
Ground covers and other shorter plants are less susceptible to heavy winds, but they generally need to be in well-drained areas because they are susceptible to flooding from stormwater runoff.
Smart Picks for Windy Gardens
‘Moonbeam’ coreopsis has thread-like foliage that allows air to flow through the plant and brilliant yellow flowers that bloom for weeks in summer. It reaches only about 18 inches high.
Creeping phlox spreads along the ground, its sturdy vines forming a mat of tiny flowers in shades of pink, purple, or white every spring.
‘Aureola’ hakonechloa, sometimes called Japanese forest grass, has long tapering, bright yellow blades lined in lime green. It forms a sturdy clump. Like with many ornamental grasses, its leaves wave gracefully in the slightest breeze and can withstand high winds.
‘Landmark Rose Sunrise’ lantana and other lantana varieties fill spaces like woody shrubs but are more flexible. The pink-and-yellow little flowers open from spring to fall.
‘Rose Marvel’ salvia puts up spikes of small, deep rose flowers from late spring through summer. It grows in clumps that expand over the seasons, giving you a big pop of color and wind resistance in your garden.
‘Stella de Oro’ daylily produces dense mounds that stay a modest 2 feet tall and 2 feet wide. It opens bright yellow blooms daily, readily replacing any damaged by storms.
‘Blue Mouse Ears’ hostas form low-growing clusters of thick, blue-green foliage. It’s a storm-ready ground cover for shady areas.
‘Denim N’ Lace’ Russian Sage has silvery foliage and lavender-like flowers. Its flexible, 3-foot-long stems and open structure make it an exceptionally wind-tolerant plant.
The best defense for windy gardens is an informed offense. Fill your garden with plants that have deep roots and flexible stems, form clumps, and stay low. Remember that many perennials will continue to regrow even when the aboveground plant has suffered from the weather. Make sure you and your family are safe in a storm, and you can rest assured your garden will endure and be ready to grow again when the sun comes out.
If you've ever lost a plant you've worked hard to grow, you can understand the heartache it brings. A hurricane or a tropical storm can throw an unexpected wrench into the beautiful garden you've worked so hard to maintain. Choosing the right plants to fill your garden beds can help prevent devastation from extreme weather conditions and tough plants could be the solution to helping your landscape thrive. Read on to learn about tough outdoor plants that can survive the worst conditions.
How to Develop a Hardy Garden
One way to ensure your garden will survive is to fill it with native plants. Native varieties have thrived in your region for generations, adapting to extreme growing conditions and making them some of the hardiest plants. One of the reasons these plants are so successful is that they tend to grow more extensive root systems than nonnative plants, so they'll stand up to heavy rainfall that can cause soil erosion.
Choosing perennials over annuals is another way to ensure your garden will thrive. While annuals die off at the end of the season, perennials re-bloom in the spring and tend to be more resilient against harsh conditions.
How you plant can also have an impact on sustaining tough plants. For example, in areas that are susceptible to drought, avoid growing plants too close together, which forces them to compete for water. In hurricane-prone regions, however, you might have more success planting closer together. The roots of closely spaced plants will intertwine, providing an anchor against heavy winds and erosion.
The Toughest Outdoor Plants
The secret to the success of many hurricane-proof plants is that they're tropical perennials. These plants tend to feature clusters of tiny flowers that recover quickly just a few days after a heavy storm. Some tropical plants feature no flowers, with their hardy foliage providing color instead. Remarkably, however, many of these plants double as both drought tolerant and hurricane hardy, thriving in low-water, high-heat conditions but able to survive through an excessive downpour. Most of these plants are also known for attracting pollinators, making them a triple threat to maintaining a successful garden.
The type of plants you choose to fill your garden will ultimately depend on the area where you live and the specific climate conditions you're facing, but here are some plants built to thrive:
'Indian Summer' alstroemeria is an excellent example of an all-around hardy plant that's also beautiful and easy to grow. This resilient tropical perennial enjoys heat and is drought tolerant once established but will flower robustly with regular water. It's winter hardy to U.S. zone 6 and can produce flowers for up to five months.
'Fireworks' gomphrena is another colorful beauty that's also low maintenance. It produces an abundance of long-lasting, bright flowers on tall, sturdy stems. It thrives in hot, dry weather but can withstand the wind and heavy rainfall accompanying a sudden tropical storm.
'Landmark Rose Sunrise' lantana and 'Red Butterfly' Asclepias are perfect examples of plants producing clusters of tiny flowers. These hardy, low-upkeep plants are known for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds and thrive in hot, dry conditions. Thanks to those floral clusters, however, they'll bounce back easily after a downpour.
With dense, bush-like foliage, 'Big Blue' salvia is another hardy variety built to withstand extreme conditions brought on by a storm. Similar to the lantana and Asclepias, salvia features tall clusters of small flowers that will quickly bounce back. They're heat- and drought-tolerant plants that are easy to grow and attract pollinators of all kinds.
Not every plant has to feature flowers to provide color. 'Black' elephant ear is a large-leaved tropical accent plant that features leaves of a gorgeous, deep-purple metallic hue. Though it can flower, it's the large leaves that make this plant shine. These plants love heat and are only hardy to U.S. zone 10, but they love water and thrive in humid, hurricane-prone climates.
Choosing tough outdoor plants built to withstand extreme weather conditions can help ensure that you'll enjoy the beauty of your garden no matter what Mother Nature throws at it.
For more tips on helping your plants thrive in all conditions, check out Burpee's guide to protecting your garden.
Written by Shahrzad Warkentin
Shahrzad Warkentin is a writer and seasoned gardener, with over 12 years of experience. Besides her own home garden, she helps manage her kids' school garden.