Light breezes are garden-friendly, but strong winds can cause damage to many plants. They can break branches, shred leaves, snap off flower stems and speedily dehydrate large areas of the lawn.
To protect the more fragile plants in your garden, you need to dissipate the wind so that the air movement is just enough to provide fresh air and prevent damp build-up without causing damage.
Solid walls can be attractive, but they don’t make good windbreaks, as they create turbulence. If you need a boundary barrier for security, a palisade fence is a better choice. Palisade fencing will help filter wind and create larger habitats or corridors in which wildlife can thrive in urban areas.
Planting hedges and shrubs next to the palisade will further lessen the effects of the wind.
Trees and shrubs
In parts of the country, that experience high winds – such as coastal areas – planting hardy trees and shrubs on the boundaries will lessen the force of the winds that reach the more delicate shrubs, flowers and bulbs.
Indigenous trees and shrubs that will withstand strong winds include:
- Sage bush (Buddleia saligna)
- Coastal silver oak (Brachylaena discolor)
- Rhus lancea
- Rhus crenata
- Yellowwood (Podocarpus henkelii)
- White milkwood (Sideroxylon inerme)
- Camphor bush (Tarchonanthus camphoratus)
- Hiccup nut (Combretum bracteosum)
- Freylinia visseri
- Tickberry bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera)
- Ficus burtt-danyi.'
Wind-resistant
In addition to boundary trees and shrubs, it makes sense to stock your garden with wind-resistant plants. A wide range of these are available from most nurseries. They include accent plants like Strelitzia regina, succulents, ground covers and striking aloes, which also attract sunbirds to the garden.
Ground covers suitable for windswept gardens include:
- Gazania rigens var leucolaena
- Chryanthemoides incana
- Arctotis stoechadifolia
- Helichrysum cynosum
- Oteospermum fruticosum
Flowering plants that grow well in windy gardens include:
Agapanthus
Cosmos
Gaura lindheimer
Poppies
White lace flowers
Most grasses seem to thrive in windy gardens - creating movement and appealing background sounds. They also stabilise the soil and come in a wide variety of textures and colours including, copper, bronze, red, blue, grey and purple.
Many types of grass create strong focal points, whereas others are ideal for softening stark garden structures.
When planning your garden, spend some time in each area over a few weeks to determine the prevailing winds. Some sections may be more windswept than others, and some may be almost wind free. Then, as a general rule, plant the toughest trees and shrubs around the garden perimeter and less hardy plants in front of them, where they will be more sheltered.