Windy Home Gardens Can Be Good for the Environment
Windy home gardens can be good for the environment, but they should be protected from strong winds. Strong winds can dry out plants and topple even the tallest ones. Most plants are unable to produce enough moisture to survive in windy environments. The cold, dry winds suck the moisture out of plants and can even lead to wind burn. Solid walls can be an obstacle to the wind’s free-flowing flow, so consider using open fences and walls.
Plants that grow fast
The wind can damage some plants if they are planted in a place where the wind often blows. To protect them from the wind, you can use ropes to tie them to a rigid structure. You can also create geodesic domes or mini greenhouses on a balcony or rooftop. If you have tall plants or climbers, you should tie the new growth to a stick or fence for extra support. This way, the plants don’t break and fall over.
If you have a windy location, choose tougher plants with fewer leaves that catch wind. For example, fennel has done well in windy sites. The green variety does better than the bronze variety. Other hardy, tough plants to try in a windy garden include dwarf kale and curly parsley. Other plants that grow well in windy conditions include radish, carrots, and most root vegetables. Tender chilli and marigold do poorly in windy locations. You can also grow strawberries and violas in a windy area.
While a home garden in a windy location may look shabby, they are actually beneficial for the environment and for the health of the plants. The strong winds can cause plants to sway excessively and pull at their roots. This prevents the roots from remaining grounded and inhibits their ability to absorb water. Eventually, this can lead to plant death.
Plants with narrow leaves
If you’re gardening in a windy environment, you’ll want to consider planting a tree with narrow leaves. This type of tree is similar to a concolor fir. It’s a large tree, growing up to forty feet tall and twenty to thirty feet wide, and is not suited for small properties. When young, it has a pyramidal shape with stiff, horizontal branches, which mature to become open and airy. The leaves are up to half an inch long and narrow, and are rounded.
If you want to grow a tree with narrow leaves, a Japanese cryptomeria is a good choice. This plant can be a tall, vertical accent or windbreak. It can grow to 50 feet or more in height. Its leaves are narrow and glossy, and are about half an inch long. The foliage is deep green, and the cones are stout and pointed.
Evergreens with narrow leaves are also good choices in windy home gardens. Their foliage is wind-resistant and requires minimal maintenance. In addition to being good for the environment, they look great. Some of them are ornamental and require little to no water, making them an excellent choice for home gardens with high winds.
Plants with thick cuticles
Plants with thick cuticles are ideally suited for gardens in windy conditions. Their cuticles react to sunlight and become thicker in the stronger light. Hence, plants grown in shade should be gradually transferred to full sunlight. Their thick cuticles also protect them from sunscald and rapid water loss. In addition, they also repel pesticides, which are often shed by plants in such areas if the spray is not spread through the plant.
Plants that are adapted to wind
If you’ve got a windy location in your home garden, you’ll want to choose plants that thrive in windy conditions. These types of plants can benefit both your environment and your plants. Many of these plants have small leaves, which provide less area for wind to catch. Consider growing ‘needly herbs’, such as fennel (green fennel is better than bronze), dwarf kale, curly parsley, radish, carrots, and most root veg. While some flowers, like marigold, do better in windy conditions, others will not.
Geraniums, for example, are a popular window box plant that can also be planted in a railing planter on a balcony. They prefer full sunlight but need some afternoon shade during the hot summer months. Geraniums also need protection from fungal diseases, so they should be brought indoors before the first frost. Marigolds, another popular choice, grow best in full sun and are suitable for windy conditions. Marigold seeds can be planted directly in spring, after the risk of frost has passed. Other plants that grow well in windy environments include daylilies.
Many trees use wind to disperse pollen, which is carried by the wind. This pollen reaches a viable egg, which will develop into a seed. Sometimes, insects help this process, too. Oak and pine trees release large amounts of pollen, ensuring that as many eggs as possible are fertilized by the genetic material contained in the pollen.
Windy Home Gardens Good for the Environment – Final Thoughts
Windy weather dries out plants more quickly than any other factor, so if you have a garden in a windy area, you should prepare for that potential damage beforehand. You can use a living screen, a portable panel, or DIY landscape fabric to shelter your plants from strong winds. Ideally, you should position the windbreak away from the prevailing wind direction.
