Beware of the Wind

I am currently working on a home garden up in the hills overlooking Elounda, a spot with wonderful views, but a constant wind.  Don’t get me wrong, on what would otherwise be a stiflingly hot day down by the coast, the breeze on the hillside is very cooling and welcome. If, however, there is enough of a breeze on the sea to create small waves, it seems to be blowing a gale up in the garden. And not just from one direction, one minute it is blowing from the land and the next off the sea!

Not only has the wind been strong enough to snap some of the young shrubs, others are struggling to cope with the “hair dryer” treatment that they are getting, which is doing its best to shrivel their leaves up.

Of course, the established trees and shrubs in the garden are coping; they have become accustomed to the conditions and just shrug them off. So why can’t the new plants do the same?

Established plants have developed a wide spread root system which, not only anchors them into the ground, but also allows them to find the last available drop of soil moisture to “drink.”

New plants, however, still have “pot shaped” rootballs and have yet to explore the surrounding soil. They have to rely on whatever water we can give them. It is imperative that enough water is given in the early days to ensure that the plant survives long enough to be able to fend for itself. Do not, however, give small amounts of water…you must soak the soil. Those roots need to be encouraged to go searching out of the rootball to find moisture of their own.

When first planted, I tend to give water daily, but once the plants stop showing signs of stress, I start to cut back on the days that I water. The areas that have been planted for more than about one month are now not getting water on two days of the week, and I will soon remove another day off their quota.

So, why am I still having problems with the newer plants?

Well one reason is that it was so windy one recent weekend that the drip lines laid over the soil were literally picked up by the wind and flipped over and away from the plants. (i.e. the plants got no water).  Another reason is the way that plants are grown and kept in the nurseries.

On the site in question, I planted two separate batches of Plumbago, the first quite large and the second smaller. Within a fortnight the younger plants were in full bloom and looking strong, whereas the older plants had lost leaves and were only just starting to put on new growth.