How to Protect Your Garden from Serious Storms

How to Protect Your Garden from Serious Storms

Summer is a time for gardeners to enjoy the beauty of flowers and the harvesting of fruits and vegetables they have grown. But gardeners also recognize the risks that severe summer storms can bring.

In the United States, weather officials are predicting another busy storm season in some areas. This could mean heavy rain, tropical storms and hurricanes.

Associated Press gardening expert Jessica Damiano has some useful suggestions for protecting gardens — along with homes and other structures — before and after serious storms.

Before the storm

When storms are predicted, take down patio¹ covers and bring outdoor furniture, like chairs and tables, indoors. Examine trees for broken branches and remove them. This way, they will not be sent flying in strong winds. If the trees are large, hire a tree expert to examine them. The cost of this service is nothing compared to the damage trees might cause if stormy weather uproots³ them and they fall.

In warmer climates, palm trees stand up well to high-wind conditions. So there is no need to cut them. It is suggested, however, that any coconut⁴ fruits are removed and stored safely indoors.

If your soil is mostly wet — either naturally or from recent rain — put down about 8 centimeters of mulch over plant areas and borders. This will offer protection against water flows and possible flooding. Some trees are more likely to come out of the ground in these conditions because their roots do not go very deep. These include white pine, birch, willow⁵ and tulip poplar.

Put a stake down next to any newly planted trees to support them. Bring hanging flowers and other contained plants into the house or another sheltered area. If this is not possible, line them up against the house or next to a wall.

Protect any flowers on small plants by placing buckets or other protective coverings over them. Wrap larger plants with cloth material secured with string. Orchids⁶, bromeliads, succulents, air plants and other tree-dwelling plants can be tied into place with fishing line.

Place special garden cloth over young, growing seedlings⁷ and secure it to the ground with stakes.

After the storm

Once the storm has passed, quickly clear away all fallen fruit and vegetables. If left on the ground, the food can rot. It can also attract unwanted animals. Remove any protective coverings you had put in place.

Examine all trees for damage. If you can safely remove hanging, broken branches from the ground, do so. But avoid removing anything higher than your head or climbing a ladder. Such work is better left to professionals. The International Society of Arborists keeps a list of registered tree professionals on its website.

If a small tree has come down, whether by break or uproot², straighten and stake it as soon as possible. You may even have to replant. Put down mulch or straw over the soil, keeping it 10 centimeters away from the center of the tree.

Water the tree normally for the rest of the growing season. This will help re-establish the root system. Wind helps trees strongly develop, so only keep the stakes in place for six months to a year.

Storms near oceans can spread a lot of salt on coastal⁸ lands. High levels of salt can dry out and damage trees and bushes. Putting mulch around trees can help keep them wet. Watering deeply can also help remove any salt from the soil around plants and trees.

Most plants will likely not survive if large amounts of salt collect on top of the soil and form a hard surface. The soil, however, can be saved. To treat salt damaged areas, water deeply, then spread gypsum over the soil. This substance reacts with the salt to form sodium⁹ sulfate, which will wash through the ground with repeated waterings. In these cases, you should continue watering deeply for the rest of the year.

Words in This Story

gardener – n. someone who works in a garden, growing plants, trees and other things

mulch – n. a covering of decaying¹¹ leaves and other materials that can be spread over soil to keep water in it or to improve it

stake – n. a strong stick or metal bar with a pointed¹² end\

bucket – n. a container with an open top and a handle that is often used to carry liquids

rot – v. to break down or decay¹⁰

attract - v. to cause a person to become interested in something or someone

ladder – n. a piece of equipment used for climbing up and down to reach high things

straw – n. dried, yellow stems of crops that are often used as food for animals or as a protective layer on the ground

1 patio   

n.庭院，平台

参考例句：

• Suddenly, the thought of my beautiful patio came to mind. I can be quiet out there,I thought.我又忽然想到家里漂亮的院子，我能够在这里宁静地呆会。
• They had a barbecue on their patio on Sunday.星期天他们在院子里进行烧烤。

2 uproot   

v.连根拔起，拔除；根除，灭绝；赶出家园，被迫移开

参考例句：

• The family decided to uproot themselves and emigrate to Australia.他们全家决定离开故土，移居澳大利亚。
• The trunk of an elephant is powerful enough to uproot trees.大象的长鼻强壮得足以将树木连根拔起。

3 uproots   

v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的第三人称单数 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园

参考例句：

4 coconut   

n.椰子

参考例句：

• The husk of this coconut is particularly strong.椰子的外壳很明显非常坚固。
• The falling coconut gave him a terrific bang on the head.那只掉下的椰子砰地击中他的脑袋。

5 willow   

n.柳树

参考例句：

• The river was sparsely lined with willow trees.河边疏疏落落有几棵柳树。
• The willow's shadow falls on the lake.垂柳的影子倒映在湖面上。

6 orchids   

n.兰花( orchid的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Wild flowers such as orchids and primroses are becoming rare. 兰花和报春花这类野花越来越稀少了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She breeds orchids in her greenhouse. 她在温室里培育兰花。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 seedlings   

n.刚出芽的幼苗( seedling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ninety-five per cent of the new seedlings have survived. 新栽的树苗95%都已成活。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• In such wet weather we must prevent the seedlings from rotting. 这样的阴雨天要防止烂秧。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

9 sodium   

n.（化）钠

参考例句：

• Out over the town the sodium lights were lit.在外面，全城的钠光灯都亮了。
• Common salt is a compound of sodium and chlorine.食盐是钠和氯的复合物。

10 decay   

vi.腐烂，衰落；n.腐烂，腐朽，衰败状态

参考例句：

• The vegetables have begun to decay.那些蔬菜已开始腐烂。
• Our powers decay in old age.我们的体力在老年时就衰退。

11 decaying   

v.（使）腐烂，腐朽( decay的现在分词 )；衰败，衰退，衰落

参考例句：

• The fish and crabs scavenge for decaying tissue. 鱼和蟹搜寻腐烂的组织为食。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Overhead, grayish-white clouds covered the sky, piling up heavily like decaying corpses. 天上罩满了灰白的薄云，同腐烂的尸体似的沉沉的盖在那里。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

12 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。