5 ways to protect your garden from heavy rain this season: limit the damaging effects

There's no denying it anymore, autumn is here and with it comes the wetter weather. This means there's no time like the present to prepare and protect your garden from possible heavy rainfall.

If you're up to date with the latest garden trends, you might have heard of rainwater harvesting and the way it can help your garden not only survive but thrive in wet conditions. This is, of course, the best way to protect your garden throughout winter; however, there are other ways you can handle severe weather.

Aside from rainscaping, you can take simple steps to keep your plants, furniture and lawn safe during heavy downpours.

How to protect your garden from heavy rain

After spending the summer working away in your garden, planting patio container plants and avoiding lawn care mistakes, the last thing you want is for it to be washed away by the rain.

Luckily, you don't have to panic just yet, as the gardening experts are here to help prepare and protect gardens from heavy rain.

1. Secure any loose objects

One of the first things you'll need to do before the bad weather hits is make sure all the loose things in your garden are tied down or stored safely. Just make sure you don't fill your shed with household items that shouldn't be in there.

Jack Stooks, gardening expert, explains, "Whether it's umbrellas, chairs or tables, you need to ensure those types of objects are either out of the way, in a shed or somewhere where they’re not going to blow over."

"You don’t want them to be flying around and smashing into plants and breaking branches. When it comes to trees that have canes, you need to make sure all the ties on the canes are properly secured, so they don’t blow over and snap," he adds.

If you have a greenhouse, especially if it's made of glass, you'll need to make sure you take plenty of precautions so nothing can smash into it. Always make sure your greenhouse and shed doors are tightly closed so nothing is blowing or banging when the gale-force winds hit.

Jack Stooks

As a private garden designer and a senior gardener who has worked at the Highgrove Gardens for King Charles III for over 20 years where he has picked up his horticultural knowledge and expertise in gardening. He also works for The Princes Foundation at Highgrove.

2. Cover any tender plants

In the same way you'd protect your plants from frost, making sure they're safe from the rain can be done with similar tools.

"Tender plants in stormy weather can easily be protected with a covering. When you’ve got tender plants, and you cover them over, you want to make sure that what you’re covering them with is secured down to protect them from the winds," explains Jack

A common tool for protecting plants is fleece, which is great, but Jack points out that you'll need to make sure you fasten it down with metal pins or big canes.

He adds, "Make sure the canes are bashed into the soil to make it really secure. That way, they won’t come off and blow all over the place, which will defeat the purpose of them."

3. Prevent plants from being waterlogged

After spending all summer strictly watering your garden plants properly, you won't want them to become waterlogged in winter.

Jack says, "Protecting smaller plants is not really as much of a problem because they’re used to UK weather. However, there may be some plants that you don’t want to get too damp, wet or sodden."

If you know you have plants that don't like much water, like lavender, then Jack advises you to dig them up and put them into a container that you can store in a shed or greenhouse. That way, they're safe from overwatering.

4. Choose weather appropriate plants

Preparing well in advance and planting mainly winter bedding plants and such can make life a lot easier this time of year.

"Find things that are suited to our weather, rather than things that go against the weather in the UK," says Jack.

And this means everything in your garden, from choosing the sturdiest garden fence designs to the best outdoor furniture. Investing in higher-quality products and structures will ensure they last through the winter.

5. Let nature take its course

As much as you can try to protect your garden from blistering winds and torrential rain, there's truly only so much you can do. Actually, these harsh conditions can be beneficial for your plants.

Jack echoes this, " If you’ve got a large shrub that you’ve never pruned, what you might find is that one or two of the branches are blowing like crazy in this weather, and they’ll snap. That’s the nature of gardening."

"From there, go in and prune the two trunks that have fallen and broken. This will help to produce new growth. It’s quite easy to get disheartened when things like this happen, but quite often, it brings new growth, and you get a nice plant from it," he finishes.

FAQs

How to deal with a waterlogged garden?

Even when you've prioritised picking only the best plants for wet gardens, certain intense weather conditions can lead to your garden becoming waterlogged, no matter what you do.

"You can improve the structure of the soil in your garden with regular cultivation to prevent the soil from becoming compacted, such as turning the soil to improve aeration. Other landscape management solutions that can help are building raised planters to elevate the roots of plants above waterlogged areas, installing permeable paths and driveways and converting roofs into green roofs," explains Richard Barker, horticulture expert and Commercial Director at LBS Horticulture.

"Water management solutions, such as French drains, can help to aid water absorption in your garden. You can also install water butts to collect rainwater, which can be used in your garden too. If your garden floods regularly, consider creating a space where the water can go, such as a rain garden or bioswale," he adds.

Finally, when planning your garden, Richard recommends choosing plants that thrive in wet conditions or can be adapted to thrive in waterlogged soil. He says this will make your garden more resilient to heavy rain, and plants suited to these conditions can stabilise soil.

Should you cover your garden with a tarp in the winter?

When trying to avoid making any winter garden mistakes, you might wonder if it's just worth covering your garden to stop any damage or weather-related issues.

"Covering your garden with a tarp in the winter can help to protect the ground from heavy rain, which prevents soil erosion and soil nutrients from being washed away," starts Richard.

"However, it can block beneficial moisture and air from reaching the soil, so it should not be used as a long-term solution. If you are using a waterproof, non-breathable tarp to cover the soil, only use this for short periods of time, such as when heavy rain is forecast," he continues.

Richard Barker

With 4 years in the industry, Richard is keen to share his knowledge with both experienced and beginner gardeners, and prides himself on keeping up to date with the latest horticultural trends.

Once you've got your outside space prepared for the cold weather ahead, why not tackle indoors and try out some autumnal decor ideas? Creating a cosy atmosphere in your home can make such a difference to your mood when the weather is bad!