Knowing how to protect plants from heavy rain is an increasing concern for gardeners as torrential downpours become more common. The changing climate is turning gardening from a hobby with set seasonal expectations into something more uncertain, meaning we are having to change the way we grow plants, from to and everything in between. While we can't change the climate, we can protect our plants and take proactive measures to keep them safe, whatever the elements throw at them.
Prolonged periods of heat and drought followed by unusually heavy rain are happening all over the world through the year with devastating consequences. Very dry soil can’t cope with sudden downpours and as a result is either washed away, if thin and parched, or becomes a non-porous surface that rain cascades off, causing flooding elsewhere. These two extremes have disastrous consequences for our plants, so here are our tips for keeping them safe, whether they are in containers or borders in your yard.
Different behave differently in heavy rain and is important not just for your plants, but for the overall maintenance of your backyard. Heavy clay will either become waterlogged or, if it has baked solid after a long dry spell, will fail to absorb heavy rain, creating run-off and flooding or pooling elsewhere in the garden. Thin dry soils can be washed away and lose a lot of their nutrients in torrential downpours.
You can help your plants, and garden as a whole, by making sure your soil is in good healt.