Garden Tip 226

“Batten down the hatches!” A phrase from nautical history, it refers to the practice of securing hatches on ships before an oncoming storm. Today, it is an expression that means to prepare for a difficult situation. Squall lines, thunderstorms, tropical storms and northeasters can all be difficult situations for gardeners. Garden planters and tropical plants set outside for the summer all need protection.

When oncoming storms approach, there is little time to prepare tropical plants to move indoors (pruning, spraying, etc.) and garden planters can be heavy and cumbersome. What is a gardener to do? I simply lay plants down on their side, preferably under a shrub or next to a building when possible. This prevents them from being beaten up by the wind and probably blown over anyway. After the storm, I simply pick up the plants, not the pieces!