Surviving the storms

In the Garden
Ralph Purkhiser, Purdue University Master Gardener

     A series of storms have wreaked havoc in Southern Indiana.  We extend our sympathies to the families who have experienced the greatest losses—that of lives and homes.  The damage done to gardens is minor in comparison, and, in most cases, easily remedied.  At Sandhill Gardens, there has been very little damage that will have any lasting effects.  
      The worst damage in the gardens came because of a large limb that broke and fell from one of the huge soft maple trees.  It took a couple of hours with a chainsaw to remove the limb so that I could assess the damage.  The silver lining is that the limb will become firewood and mulch for the future garden.  The large limb crashed into some limbs of a Kousa dogwood, making them droop to the ground.  I plan to give them a few days to see if they return to their original placement.  However, I had been contemplating some pruning on that tree anyway.  We will just have to see what the future brings.  A golden juniper also has some minor damage.  I will cut broken branches back to a bud.  This winter, I will do some further shaping on the juniper and use the trimmings in making wreaths.
      There were a lot of perennials that were bent to the ground by the falling limb.  Some were in bloom, including black-eyed Susans, hostas and tall bellflowers.  I will be cutting the flowers in coming days to make bouquets for friends.  Some of the plants may have to be cut to the ground.  The hostas will be done flowering for the year, but new foliage will appear in a couple of weeks.  The bellflowers and black-eyed Susans may return and bloom again later in the summer.  Even if they do not, they will return next year and there are plenty of both in the garden that were chopped off a few weeks ago to delay the blooms and make the plants stronger.  
     The limb also landed on a small weigela that had bloomed earlier and was putting out some new blooms.  Some branches were broken, and these will be pruned back to a branch intersection.  The good news is that Independence Day is the signal for starting many spring-blooming woody plants from cuttings.  I have made fresh cuts at buds and dipped the cuttings in some rooting hormone.  I then used a dowel rod to make a hole in a tray of moistened peat moss.  These trays will be kept in the greenhouse to increase humidity, and root growth should begin in about three weeks.  You may get the same effect by putting trays in a large, clear plastic bag, using sticks to keep the bag from actually touching the cuttings.  Of course, I remind you that it is illegal to propagate patented plants.  Azaleas, rhododendrons, pieris and other spring-flowing shrubs may be propagated in this manner, and using the storm-damaged branches just makes a set-back into something positive.
     Storm damage may leave some holes in the landscape, but do not fret.  Potted plants are the perfect cure for that.  Garden centers still have summer annuals that may be potted up and placed where a filler is needed.  You may want to choose a tropical plant that will become a houseplant for the cold months, but will grow into an impressive addition to your garden in the summer weather, which often is like the weather of the plant’s tropical homeland.
     Hail stones have beat fruit off of trees and bramble, winds have flattened some crops, standing water may be fatal for some plants.  The storms have caused a lot of damage, but if you are in good health and your family and friends are well, do not let the storm effects get you down.  Give thanks to God for your blessings and plant something new in your garden.  It is a great way to celebrate life.