How to Protect Your Yard & Garden Against Summer Storms

lightning in night sky

For many of us, there’s nothing quite like a summer thunderstorm, especially if it’s a short and harmless one we can watch while tucked away safely inside. But what about the not quite so harmless ones? Lightning, torrential downpours with flooding, wind gusts, and hail will cause extensive damage to your property. How do you protect your yard and garden against summer storms?

1. Much Mulch

Ensuring your plants’ roots are covered gives them the strength they need to survive extreme weather. A thick blanket of mulch, up to three inches, is a great way to increase plant durability while allowing the soil to retain moisture and fight dry spells.

2. Don’t Branch Out

A large majority of damage comes from downed tree limbs, so trimming your trees is an important step in protecting your yard and garden against summer storms. Remember that weakened, dead branches on trees are no match for gusty winds, and dead trees lack the root strength to stay upright during wind or a torrential rainfall. This potential damage will be lessened with regular tree pruning to remove low hanging branches and limbs that aren’t thriving.

3. Go Ahead and Get Tied Down

Tying new plants to the ground, called tethering or anchoring, is a way to give them additional strength as they are growing a healthy root structure. The best way to tether a plant is by attaching it to a stake that’s been firmly driven into the ground.

4. Have You Got it Covered?

New plants are especially susceptible to storm damage. If you suspect a heavy storm is on its way, you can cover them with just about anything from burlap to plastic bags and tarps. Some will place buckets, bowls, and pots over delicate new plants. Your imagination is the limit; just make sure your cover is anchored with a heavier object like a rock or a brick. 

5. Security is a Must

Wind doesn’t have to directly affect your yard and  gardens to cause damage. Make sure lawn equipment, patio furniture, trashcans, and other potential “missiles” are secured, covered, or put away.

6. Put Up Some Walls 

Sometimes you need a more permanent solution to protect your yard and garden against summer storms. If you are in an area that receives a lot of rain or always seems to collect puddles and ponds of rain after every storm, building a garden wall could be your solution.The wall can be used to redirect the flow of water out of your garden, especially when paired with another drainage solution such as mounding soil and covering exposed areas with decorative stone.

Protect Your Yard and Garden from Summer Storms: Take Away Thought

The best time to protect your yard and garden from summer storms is before those storms catch you off guard. Keep an eye out for impending storms and storm warnings and have a plan for quickly putting your protections in action. Preventive measures include:

  • Putting away yard tools after you use them
  • Securing trash cans and patio furniture
  • Covering plant roots in blankets of mulch
  • Annual pruning of trees on your property 
  • Creating a decorative garden wall to prevent flooding

Always remember to stay safe, be prepared, and never go outside in an approaching storm.