Dear Helen: The wind storm just before the long weekend damaged some of my shrubs. Some have been badly wind-swept, with many branches bend over to the ground. Others have lost their compact shape to become splayed out into separate parts. Do you know of a way to restore plants damaged in these ways?
F.P.
That was a wild storm. I was out in the garden that afternoon, determined to at least get some seeds planted. The row cover over the onions kept flying into the air and cedar and fir trees next to my side fence were whipping about furiously. It was scary. When I came back into the house, I discovered the power had been out for two hours.
I usually address damage from high winds (or the weight of heavy snow) in one of two ways.
If a shrub’s branches have become splayed apart, but the branches are not broken or bent right to the ground, they can often be trained back into their desired shape by wrapping and tying cord around them. This worked successfully on my compact Gold Cone juniper when it had become splayed apart by the weather.
Sometimes the damage is too severe for this tying and retraining method to work. I was dismayed, after this latest wind storm, to find my ‘Arp’ rosemary hedge, full of flowers, almost entirely bent over to the ground. The branches had not broken off, but were bent down, in my estimation, beyond restoring to an upright position.
In this case, I employed the second option for damage control: pruning. Keeping the remaining upright stems, I pruned away the bend-down ones. As I did this, I could see how woody the sub-shrubs had become. Next spring, I’ll replace them with new plants.
Over the years, Mediterranean herbs like thyme, sage, lavender and rosemary tend to become woody and often unattractive. When they do, I dig them up, replenish the soil, and replace them with young starter plants. I’ve just done that with an old, raggedy bed of sages.
Dear Helen: A concrete planter overhanging the garage entrance to our condominium building gets only limited sun because of surrounding buildings. It’s in full sun for only a couple of hours around noon time. No sun after 3 p.m. The weeds and old, leggy evergreens now in the planter need to be removed and replaced with something that would drape over the front of the planter to soften its appearance. We currently have an enthusiastic group of gardeners in the building, but that might not continue. Permanent evergreen plants would probably be most practical. We’d appreciate suggestions.
G.T.
While you have a keen gardening group, for this summer you might consider indulging in a colourful flower project in the planter. Empty the planter and plump the soil with a good potting mix and maybe a little coconut fibre (coir) for moisture retention. Hanging basket fuchsias or/and trailing begonias would drape nicely over the front edge. If there is room, taller coleus or New Guinea impatiens could be planted behind.
For eventual permanent, evergreen plants, for the situation you’ll need tough, easy-growing types that will be fine in sun and shade.
I’m fond of the colourful heucheras (coral bells), which I’ve grown in winter hanging baskets. The ornamental evergreen foliage comes in a wide array of vivid colours.
Evergreen ferns are another option. Most would drape nicely over the front planter edge. Some of the grasses would do the same. The sedges (Carex) have mounding cascades of evergreen foliage. Some varieties are variegated and others are in attractive bronze shades.
GARDEN EVENTS
Dahlia meeting. The Victoria Dahlia Society will meet on Thursday, June 2, at 7:30 p.m. in St. Michael’s Church, 4733 West Saanich Rd. Christina Nikolic, owner of The Organic Gardener’s Pantry, will present a talk on organic gardening. All visitors welcome.
VHS meeting. The Victoria Horticultural Society will meet on Tuesday, June 7, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Garth Homer Centre, 813 Darwin Ave. Jeff Wright, head horticulturist at Royal Roads University, will speak about Woodland Gardening in Victoria. The main meeting will begin at 7, preceded by a social time from 6:30 to 7. Masks are required in the Garth Homer Centre. Non-member drop-in fee $5. .
