But gardens are vulnerable to the full onslaught of the weather, and many gardeners will despair at the damage wrought to their precious and normally well-tended green spaces.

However, there are sensible measures you can take to protect and rescue your garden from storm damage, says Guy Barter, chief horticulturalist at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). He advises gardeners to…

Check for tree root disease

“Trees don’t last forever, and there’ll always be the odd tree coming down here and there,” he says. “Sometimes it’s associated with root disease, so it’s worth checking that the roots aren’t rotten and smell of fungus.”

If there is root disease, he advises gardeners to have the stump excavated, pointing out that if it’s a small tree, you can feasibly do it yourself, but he warns against planting another tree in the same spot.

Remember many trees will regrow

Although wind damage can make plants and trees look terrible, Barter stresses that many trees in particular will regrow.

“Sometimes they just snap off above ground level, but very often they’ll resprout,” he says. “For very big trees you’ll need the help of a tree surgeon, but you can often bring trees back to life. Even if they’re very, very broken indeed they can regrow, so don’t throw in the towel immediately.”

You can’t really tell whether a tree will regrow or not, he explains – although some types are more likely to be resurrected than others.

“Some trees can live over a hundred years, and during that time, they’re bound to encounter storms and accidents that destroy boughs, and they can usually recover quite well.”

Protect young plants and trees

Barter points out that young plants wave around in the wind, so this is the time of year when you have to adjust tree stakes and ties and perhaps hammer in a few more. “Sometimes trees are pushed over by the wind, and you can just push them back upright, perhaps with the help of a landscaper and a few navvies to get it in position, and hopefully it’ll reroot and carry on,” he says.

He does warn gardeners, however, to check the forecast as there’s no point resurrecting your precious trees if they’re going to get blown down again in a new storm a few days later.

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Erect interference/trellis fencing

Solid fences are a barrier which can get shaken and brought down in the wind, explains Barter, but if a fence is porous – known as ‘interference fencing’ – the planks don’t quite meet and the gap allows air to filter through.

“A trellis works the same way,” he says. “Although fences have their place, if you live in a windy spot, something that filters it is a lot more satisfactory than something that acts as a barrier.”

Reseed bare grass patches

Barter says lawns are usually fine after heavy rain, but points out: “There may be some bare patches in the spring where the water’s been hanging round, but they can be reseeded, or buy a bit of turf.”

He says it’s important to keep to paths in the winter and not trample turf or any other soil, so if you need to do something in the garden, put planks over the grass to walk on.

He adds: “Weather like this destroys hedges and fences that aren’t strong enough, and trees that aren’t well-rooted, and newly planted things are vulnerable. But on the whole, gardens will survive all sorts of wind damage.


“It’s very distressing if you lose a precious tree, but in the great order of things, gardens will go on and there’s no need to get a concrete mixer and concrete it all down – there are lots of things that a wise gardener can do instead.”