With new shoots showing progress in the restorative process of growth, and most if not all the debris removed, it is a good time to physically walk the garden and check for any secondary problems incurred after the initial storm damage.

Many plants were weakened top-side and below ground with the initial impacts of the storm, and after clean-up they should now be showing some good growth, but some will have been impacted more than visually noted at first glance with symptoms only now starting to show. This may be branches that were partially ‘twisted’ or root systems that ‘moved’ with the ferocity of the winds and have yet to settle or re-establish root growth. The import thing to do in the case of ‘twisted’ branches is cut back to clean healthy wood, with root systems contingent on the extent of damage staking to secure movement would certainly assist in establishing the root system.

As many gardens were over planted or wooded areas never cleared out, the ‘mass’ of growth in many cases became the problem simply by the force of the wind hitting ‘solid’ sheets of foliage and in many cases because of the overcrowding, poor root systems developed and, if on rock, were certainly surface growing and thus easily blown over. Now would be a good time to take stock of what in the garden is healthy, has potential room to grow without being ‘crowded’ by its neighbours or is simply very old in poor condition and perhaps nearing its ‘expiry’ date. These can be removed — roots and all — before standing back and considering the next step in the process of refurbishment. Ensure all decaying or wood containing rot is removed from site to remove the chance of fungal activity being allowed to ‘over-winter’. In coastal areas higher than normal salt concentrations found their way into the soil and have hopefully been flushed out by the ongoing rains, with rain of course comes the issue of plant nutrients being also leached out so consider applying inorganic fertiliser as well as well composted organic material to enhance the soil structure and encourage growth.

Now the clocks have gone back, growth should start to slow down, but not stop; new growth will fill in and flowering continue to a lesser degree, so gardens, though looking a little bedraggled, will still have some vibrancy.

Obviously, with the devastation to the landscape and the need to re-plant comes the question of what and where, which will, if thought out correctly, alleviate such problems as overcrowding in the future.

Aim for a good selection of foundation that will suit your area — especially if in an exposed area — and plant each one with enough room to grow without the need for constant cutting back; pruning is an accepted and necessary exercise to keep plants healthy, within reasonable bounds and create good flowering wood.

If you purchase a plant that’s characteristics are it will grow approximately five feet in height and the same across to keep it in ‘presentable condition’ then to achieve this free growth ensure that neighbouring plants fit the need for such growth. Once the foundation plantings are installed consider under-planting with ground cover material — low growing plants — that will fill in and create a ‘cover’ over the soil area thus reducing weed growth. In such cases as Lantana and Pentas removing the dead heads once over and trimming back the plants will encourage new flushes of growth and flower. Perhaps up to four times per year if the weather is accommodating; this type of layout alone will reduce the need for weeding whilst creating a picture perfect — hopefully — garden.

As the higher temperatures moderate growth will slow and the transition of hot to cooler days will see the introduction of cooler season weeds, which in reality means ‘summer’ weed-growth is still with us whilst cooler season weeds will make inroads over the next several months. Weed control is so important for several reasons; first and foremost they make a garden look untidy with their random appearances throughout the flower beds. Secondly, if they are ephemerals — short lived plants that germinate, flower and seed in a short period of time — seed dispersal only exacerbates the problem and thirdly, the longer a weed is left the larger its top and root growth with the problem of then removing all the root and or just part of it, especially if it is a weed that can propagate from its roots.

Other problems associated with weed growth include their capability to host pest and diseases which then infect the garden plants; they also utilise soil water and nutrients in the soil at the expense of the garden plants. A small point but worth remembering, each time a weed is removed by its roots shake off the soil around the root hairs as it is better serving the plant in the soil than wasted elsewhere as a medium for germinating fresh seed.

Weed growth in lawns should also be tackled on a regular basis for once they take hold it is a difficult process to eradicate them especially in lawns of mixed grass types as there is compatibility problems with the sensitivity levels to certain chemicals and specific grass types.

Now, is an ideal opportunity to clean up the garden in a proper manner, thus reducing a repeat of what we have just seen, with the potential of improved maintenance in the long term.

Malcolm D. Griffiths

griffm@northrock.bm