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DESIGN ELEMENTS

Hail Damage is slight on these Bromeliads photo Peter Nixon

This garden series with Garden Designer Peter Nixon, is all about garden challenges thrown at us mostly by nature but also due to a situation in your garden that you might need to fix. 
Over the next few weeks we’ll be covering hail damage, sun scorch, garden loopers, and a few other odds and sods that aren’t necessarily damage but a garden challenge all the same.
Let’s kick off the series with the first challenge.

Hail damage on Alcantarea photo Peter Nixon
 I'm talking with Peter Nixon, garden designer

Summer hail storms can be especially discouraging to gardeners since they always seem to hit just as your plants are starting to look promising.
Even small 'pea sized' hail can severely damage crops and gardens because they hit the plants with so much force.

There are ways to help your garden recover even if leaves are shredded and stems are broken on your favourite fruit and vegetables, or ornamental plants.
Give your plants a week to show recovery. 
But if they're continuing to wilt, go ahead and dig them up.



Shredded Alcantareas photo Peter Nixon



For Bromeliads don't rush out there with the secateurs to cut off the damaged and split leaves. Let the plant recover for a short time, preferable until new pups turn up then you can cut off the damaged leaves.

If you have any questions about hail damage in your garden, write in and let us know what happened our email address, or just post it to realworldgardener@gmail.com

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