After The Storm - Helping Your Landscape Recover

Weathered Landscape? Here's How to Help Plants After a Storm

When storms rage through with howling winds, hail, torrential rain, flooding, or even fire, it can leave our once-thriving gardens looking in shambles!

But don't panic!

While the damage may look dire, many plants will bounce back with time and care. Follow these storm recovery tips for your yard and landscape after hurricanes, tornadoes, or windstorms to help your trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals recover with less stress and more success.

• Post-Storm Clean-Up: Safety First, Then Clean-Up
• Time For A Trim
• Signs Your Trees or Shrubs Won't Recover
• Leave The Leaves!
• Give Them Support
• Fertilize With Care!
• What To Do After A Hailstorm
• Flood Recovery For Gardens
• Lightning Strikes and Trees: What To Know
• What To Do After A Fire
• Hurricane Damage in the Garden: Recovery Tips
• Next Growing Seasons To-Do List
• An Ounce Of Prevention: Stormproof Your Garden Ahead Of Time
• Helping You and Your Landscape Recover

Post-Storm Clean-Up: Safety First, Then Clean-Up

While surveying the damage, grab some photos and video for insurance purposes, and then begin cleaning the aftermath.

Important! If you have any downed power lines, do not go outside! Call the local authorities or municipal company to ensure you have a safe space to work in!

Clean Up Time

Often, neighborhoods that received lots of damage will have designated locations for you to bring storm-damaged trash.

• Take photos/videos for insurance documentation.
• Remember to wear gloves (you won't know what has been blown into your yard!).
• Have clean, sanitized pruners at the ready. Re-sanitize between each cut!
• Scattered downed limbs and other large debris should be removed from the area first. Followed by loose, hanging limbs as which are now hazards. But only if it is safe for you to do so!
• Rake away leaves and smaller debris so they don't have a chance to rot or smother your other plants. These leaves can also lead to molds, mildew, disease, and bacteria being spread if left in place.
• Compost any smaller plant debris, and make piles of larger stems and twigs. (Create a bee hibernation station!)
• Only trim what's broken beyond repair. Leave healthy growth to support plant recovery, even if it looks ‘ugly'. It may look like a bad haircut, but you need every inch of growth to support your plant right now.
• Young trees or shrubs that have been partially (or fully) torn out of the ground after wind or storms can usually be replanted if their roots are mostly intact. Baby them until they re-establish.
• Larger shrubs and trees that have been partially uprooted, an arborist or tree company can replant them. But in many cases, a professional will have to remove hazards so they do not cause further damage to your personal property or cause personal injury.

Time For A Trim

It is important to remove all broken stems and limbs as they can cause larger problems later, allow pests and disease a fast track into plants' vascular systems, and larger limbs can cause physical injury to people and damage to homes and vehicles.

• Trim back all broken plant parts to create a clean new cut
• Choose an area just above a healthy leaf node or junction so the plants can grow from a bud.
• Any limbs that have been twisted, cracked, split, or bent in a way that exposed the cambium layer should be trimmed back as well to avoid any fungi or insects getting a foothold in the plant's vascular system.

Trimming back shrubs and trees may mean removing fruit and next year's flowers, but it's important for the long-term survival and health of your plant. Perennials and other shrubs will soon recover and rebloom later this growing season.

Signs Your Trees or Shrubs Won't Recover

• Major damage may also include dented bark that has damaged the cambium and extends more than half of the tree's circumference (called girdling).
• Any damage that has removed large portions of an evergreen's terminal buds.
• Splits down the main trunks will, unfortunately, require removal.
• Major damage (more than 50% of the plant has been destroyed or foliage stripped) will significantly impact a plant's ability to make food, move nutrients and water around, and recover.
• Major damage can also include dented bark that has damaged the cambium and extends more than half of the tree's circumference (called girdling).
• Any damage that has removed large portions of an evergreen's terminal buds, from which they cannot regrow.
• If all the stems are broken to the ground (or burned away) can indicate that the entire plant will need to be removed. If you still have an intact crown and main stem, it will regrow.
• If the plant's crown has been crushed or broken to the ground, it may not recover. Except for suckering shrubs and own-root shrubs, like non-grafted Roses. These will actually recover over time.

Tips For Annuals and Perennials

If the roots and main stem are damaged beyond repair but the crown and some of the main stem are still intact, a trim will encourage vigorous new growth and lots of branching (similar to how pinching back plants does). Even if just a couple of inches remain. If there are a leaf node or two, the plant will branch out and regrow!

Just watch how much water you are giving them, as they won't need as much as before when they were full of flowers and leaves to support.

Leave The Leaves!

Even though some leaves were tattered or may have holes in them after hail or look shredded after wind, as long as they are not broken and can remain on the plant, they are still making food for the plant through photosynthesis!

Your plants may look bad for a while, but without this lifeline, your tree, shrub, or perennial will not be able to make enough food to support itself through the winter, and you'll have a sickly, weak, or dead plant next spring.

For perennials, own-root Roses, and thicket-forming shrubs, you can remove tattered growth, allowing for new growth to replace it for a cleaner appearance.

Give Them Support

• Prop up any plants not broken but beaten down and ensure the roots are not exposed. Use staking or other types of support until the plant recovers.
• Redistribute soil that's been washed away to ensure the plant has adequate anchoring in the ground. Add fresh topsoil where needed.
• Top dress mulch back to its 3-4 inch deep layer for more support. Mulch over the top of the soil not only reserves soil moisture but also prevents mud from splashing up on the plants. This not only keeps the foliage cleaner but also keeps soil-borne diseases from splashing onto damaged plant parts as well.
• Apply copper fungicide to fruit trees to protect them from blown-in pathogens, cankers, blights, and rot/spots. Diseased plant matter can be brought in from all kinds of sources, so better safe than sorry. If the broken areas are cleanly trimmed and there are no cracks or stripped bark, you should be in the clear and not need to apply fungicide.
• Be prepared to spray evergreens with fungicide, especially plants that received impact damage from hail and wind.

Even if a plant is long established and purportedly drought resistant, do not let that plant dry out during heat and between rains.

Treat them as if you just planted them! These damaged plants need every bit of support as they recover. Storms typically occur in the summer, so the compounding heat stress and drought stress will greatly reduce a plant's ability to recover from catastrophic damage.

Fertilize With Care!

While a gentle boost helps some plants regrow, avoid heavy feeding during high-stress periods. Only apply mild fertilizer if no feed has been given in the last month.

Fertilizer should never be your first go-to. Only very mild, weak fertilizer solutions should be applied if the plant hasn't already been fertilized this growing season. This is because it will put additional stress on an already stressed plant by practically forcing it to grow while it's trying to heal.

Recovering From Various Storm Types

What To Do After A Hailstorm

When hail hits, it doesn't just batter your plants; it can strip foliage, dent stems, and even create conditions for frost damage if the hail lingers.

Here's your go-to list for helping your garden recover from hail damage quickly and effectively:

• Remove leftover hail from around plants as soon as it's safe. Leaving hail piled up can create localized cold zones that freeze plant roots and stems.
• Inspect all plants for shredded leaves, snapped stems, and dented bark. Prioritize trimming damaged areas cleanly below any tears or bruises.
• Leave partially torn but still attached leaves if they're green and functional. They'll help support photosynthesis while new growth develops.
• Remove plants from soggy soil if drainage is poor or roots are drowning. Repot or replant as needed in fresh, well-draining soil.
• Check soil compaction from driving rain and hail. Lightly aerate if it has become crusted or dense to allow roots to breathe.
• Stake bent or leaning plants to provide support until they strengthen again.

Even though it's tempting to remove all the tattered foliage, remember ... if the leaves still function, they still work! For a cleaner appearance, you can prune back as new growth emerges, especially on perennial plants and flowering shrubs.

Flood Recovery For Gardens

Flooding can suffocate plant roots, wash away soil, and spread disease (of all kinds, not just to your plants!), but fast action can help your landscape bounce back.

• Protect yourself! All kinds of nasty things can turn up in floodwater. Gloves, waders, a mask, and eye protection are a must!
• Remove debris and silt from around plant bases to uncover crowns and prevent rot.
• Flush salt or contaminated floodwater from the soil with clean, deep watering once it drains. Replace it entirely if it is fetid.
• Re-anchor exposed roots and add fresh topsoil where it washed away.
• Avoid walking on soggy soil to prevent compaction. Wait until it firms up.
• Watch for yellowing leaves, fungal growth, or root rot, and treat immediately. Or go ahead and apply preventative measures right away.

If flooding is a common concern in your area, consider building a rain garden or installing swales to redirect excess water safely.

Lightning Strikes and Trees: What To Know

When lightning hits trees or shrubs, it can scorch leaves, split bark, and even kill the tree. Sometimes immediately, sometimes the damage shows up weeks later.

Signs of Lightning Damage:

• Long vertical cracks or bark blown off
• Wilted or scorched foliage
• Sudden dieback in limbs
• No visible damage, but decline follows

What To Do:

• Remove dangerous limbs and split branches
• Don't use wound paint. Let the tree seal itself
• Deep water weekly and add arborist mulch
• Skip fertilizer for now, and avoid stressing the tree further
• Watch for or go ahead and take steps to prevent pests and fungal infections

Call an arborist for trees with major trunk damage or leaning issues. Trees with partial damage may recover over time with care and pruning.

What To Do After A Fire

1. Remove immediate hazards
2. Trim back the singed parts to healthy tissue
3. Monitor plants to see if they recover (many will on their own).
4. Watching for signs of stress, pests, and borers moving in (treat or pretreat if able).
5. Remove permanently damaged plants and replace them with species better able to survive fire-prone areas.

What to Avoid

• Skip the pruning sealants. They trap moisture, diseases, and fungi, and can do more harm than good.
• Don't over-fertilize a stressed plant! Wait until next spring to see if your plant has survived. You can give shrubs and trees a very mild dose of fertilizer if it is still early in the season, not before your last frost date when plants need to harden off, and not during the especially hot summer weeks.
• Avoid pulling out deciduous plants too soon. Try a Scratch Test first to check for life under the bark.

Hurricane Damage in the Garden: Recovery Tips

Hurricanes bring a devastating combo of high winds, flooding, and salt exposure. It's a triple threat to your landscape. But not all is lost!

Garden Recovery After a Hurricane:

• Replant partially uprooted trees as soon as possible
• Rinse salt spray off foliage with fresh water
• Remove silt and debris to uncover buried plants
• Replace lost soil and add arborist mulch
• Prune broken limbs and damaged leaves
• Deep water flood-stressed plants after the soil dries
• Watch for/take steps to prevent rot and fungal issues over the coming weeks

Avoid walking on soggy soil to reduce compaction and damage. With time and care, many plants will bounce back stronger than before. Look up hurricane-proof trees for your area for future storms.

Next Growing Seasons To-Do List

1. Make notes for yourself about what was damaged and where so you can keep an eye on them in the future. Allowing you to head off any problems before they start.
2. Water as needed until the following spring to see how your plants recover.
3. Use a gentle hand with fertilizer in spring. Sometimes, just a layer of compost is all the boost it will need.
4. Keep mulch layers fresh and deep.
5. Scratch test deciduous plants that have not come out of dormancy in the spring to see if they're really dead, or just slow to emerge.
6. Watch for signs of disease or insect activity and act quickly.

An Ounce Of Prevention: Stormproof Your Garden Ahead Of Time

Be storm-savvy with proactive prep! Just like preparing the late-season garden for those first frosts, you can do a few things to shield your landscape if you know bad weather is on the way (or you live where storms are frequent!).

Pre-Storm Landscape Protection Tips

Do NOT go outside during severe weather! Lightning, flying debris, and hail are dangerous! Shelter first, garden later.

• Use burlap, old blankets, tarps, or frost cloths to cover plants temporarily.
• Stake or cage tall plants early (like Tomatoes, Hollyhocks, or Delphinium) so they grow into their support.
• Use buckets, totes, or garbage cans to cover prized plants quickly in a hailstorm. Tie or weigh them down!
• Bring container plants indoors or secure them to railings with straps or bungee cords.
• Use hail netting, shade cloth, or chicken wire over garden beds as protective barriers.

Guard Against Wind and Water

• Tie down loose yard items: trampolines, umbrellas, chairs, grills, large container plants, and even garden décor.
• Plan a windbreak with trees, hedges, or fencing to reduce wind speed and snow drift damage.
• Build a rain garden or drainage swale to route heavy water away from roots and home foundations.
• Protect hillsides with terracing, retaining walls, or deep-rooted groundcovers to stop erosion. For ideas, explore this list of low-growing flowering plants that stabilize soil.

Create a Healthier, More Resilient Landscape

• Start with stress-free plants: Choose regionally adapted, pest-resistant varieties.
• Keep plants pruned, fertilized, watered, and mulched for peak health.
• Incorporate native plants. They're often better adapted to local extremes and bounce back faster.
• Add a fire-wise buffer zone if you live in wildfire areas to act like a modern-day moat around your home.

Storms happen! But with a plan in place and the right preparations, you'll save your plants a world of stress, and yourself hours of cleanup!

Helping You and Your Landscape Recover

It can feel like a gut punch to step outside after a storm and see the wreckage in your garden. But just like Ma Nature brings the storm, she also brings the sun, and recovery is possible with a little help.

At Nature Hills Nursery, we're here to guide your recovery journey and help restore your landscape to its former beauty. With a little time, love, and leafy perseverance, your garden will bloom again!

Happy Planting!