What damage can wind do to garden plants

A. To some extent it depends on where the wind comes from. Inland South Westerly winds often bring warmer air so if they are not gale-force, can be welcome. It's the colder easterly and north-easterly winds that can do much damage in the garden, particularly during the winter when they are at their most ferocious.

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Unchecked high winds can most obviously simply blow trees and shrubs, particularly young ones which haven't had time to establish a strong, stabilising root system, clean out of the ground. Taller plants can suffer from wind rock where they are pushed and pulled around in the soil, preventing them from laying down sound foundations.

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Foliage, particularly on the evergreens that are so important to the winter garden can be irreparably damaged. Leaves exposed to high winds lose a lot of moisture leading to what are effectively drought conditions causing leaves to turn brown and sometimes fall, often known as windburn.

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In coastal climates the wind dumps can dump as much as 50kg per acre of salt, much hated by all but the toughest plants, on to soil every year.

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A. You could build a high brick wall all round the garden but this is rarely practical or desirable.

Low walls or solid fences may offer some protection at low levels but can actually make matters worse.

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What tends to happen when a strong wind hits a solid surface it isn't dissipated only deflected, and more often than not tumbles over the top causing unpredictable turbulence powerful enough to seriously damage plants on the other side.

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It has been established that the best form of windbreak doesn't block the wind but lets it through at a much reduced speed, either a living hedge or a fence or lattice work which is around 60 percent solid and 40 percent permeable.

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A.� For coastal conditions there is nothing to beat the Monterey pines (Pinus radiata), but as this can reach up to 50ft it is not an option for most of us.

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In smaller gardens conifers are good but will need to be kept under control, especially leylandii. Flexible and fast growing plants like bamboo and willow are not only tough but also add interest all year round, the bamboos for their grace and evergreen foliage and the willows for their multicoloured branches in winter.

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Good old reliable beech is good for a low formal hedge, and although it is not strictly evergreen it does hold onto its rust coloured leaves during the winter. Laurel is another vigorous evergreen that can form a quick windbreak.

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A.� Plants with easily snapped branches or that are prone to wind-burnt foliage can be protected with horticultural fleece or even bubblewrap. There is some debate about staking plants and trees.

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If you have bought tall or mature specimens it is probably best to stake them as they will not have a large root network, especially if they have been container grown. Small juvenile specimens are probably better left unstaked as without a 'crutch' they tend to establish faster to combat the wind.

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