Planting for Extreme Weather

Tried and true tips to help your garden weather the extremes 

Living in a climate in which extreme temperature swings are to be expected can make gardening quite a challenge. Do you feel that you live in a place where it’s too hot, then too rainy, then too cold for most plants to thrive? You’re always having to reinvent what to do with a certain spot in your garden that never seems to make it through one of these temperature phases. An extra-hot or super-cold season is an opportunity to grow as a gardener, and these days, as temperatures climb into the triple digits, remember that there are ways to help your plants keep blooming and producing.  

If you’re in Texas, it’s not summer without sweltering temperatures for at least six to eight weeks of the summer. It’s hard on all of us, especially your shrubs and your lawn. And if you’re in a colder climate where frost, snow, or even blizzards are always on your radar, there’s help for you as well.

Here are some tips to help you protect your landscape so your flowers and vegetables can flourish, even when you’re too hot or too cold to go outside. 

Select plants that can stay colorful while standing up to the heat

Purslane, zinnias and pentas bloom well all summer long, and purslane in particular is very drought resistant. Its leaves are small and succulent, and it will mound up to fill empty spaces in your flower beds with pops of pretty colors. Zinnias and pentas are great pollinators, and their blossoms will keep looking good throughout the heat waves. Lantanas are a fast growing, low maintenance, drought tolerant summer plant with striking blooms. Vinca are also easy to grow and very sun-loving, ideal for flower beds and containers. Yucca and salvia are drought tolerant perennials that provide constant foliage and re-bloom often, adding masses of color and texture to your yard. 

Just one rule for watering your plants

When’s the best time for your plants to get their water? In the morning, and make sure they get at least one inch per week, whether it’s from the rain or the sprinkler or your watering can. Morning watering gives the plants more time to absorb the nutrients before it all evaporates in the hot sun. 

Mulch, mulch, mulch

Protect your flower beds from extreme heat with mulch. If you add a thick layer to your beds and around your shrubs and your trees, you’ll help keep that water in and maintain the soil’s moisture. 

Now, what about the cold weather? 

There are plenty of ways to safeguard your yard from Jack Frost’s damaging visits. You can do a lot to prepare for cold snaps, protect your plants and shrubs, and safeguard the vegetable plants that are most vulnerable to Mother Nature’s chilly curve balls.  

An interesting bit of weather lore says that when the sky is full of stars, expect frost. 

If you’re not ready to hang up your gloves and spade in the late fall, don’t worry. There are still vegetables that can do well when the weather gets colder, but you need to be prepared. When does frost damage occur? Here’s a list of “frost-hardy” vegetables, that are tough enough to withstand 28 degrees or less.

• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Collards
• Peas
• Radishes
• Spinach
• Turnips
• Kale

Some vegetables are fairly hardy and can tolerate a light frost, from 28-32 degrees. 

• Beets
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Lettuce
• Parsnips
• Potatoes 

There are a few that can’t take any frost at all. They need to be protected from frost, or harvested before the frost comes. 

• Beans
• Cucumber
• Eggplant
• Melon
• Okra
• Peppers
• Sweet corn
• Sweet potatoes
• Tomatoes 

Pro tips to prepare for frost:

• Know approximately when frosts tend to occur in your area. Sometimes, a forecast says there’s a 50% chance of frost. Begin preparing when there’s only a 30% probability. You don’t want to risk a 50% chance of your plants dying. 
• Select plants that are hardy in your area. 
• Water thoroughly, and then again—mulch, mulch, mulch. That will protect the plants and keep the moisture in. 
• Drape bed sheets or some medium-weight fabric over plants before frost. Do not use plastic. Secure to the ground with rocks or bricks. Drape loosely for circulation, don’t let the cover rest on the plants. 
• Protect containers from cracking from the cold by wrapping in bubble wrap, or just move them inside. 
• Harvest all your herbs before the first frost. 
• Bring all tropical plants inside. 
• If you can plant trees on a slope, they will suffer less from cold winds than elsewhere. 
• If you place sensitive plants on the south or west side of the house, they will suffer less from the winds. 

If you lose your plants no matter what you tried, don’t be too hard on yourself. 

Many plants can survive extreme temperatures, but you need to know the right varieties for your location. Remember that climate change has even the most expert weather scientists scratching their heads, and although they can forecast fairly accurately, strange weather conditions can throw a wrench in the plan at any time. Even wild plants, which generally survive extreme conditions, can suffer. No matter what you try, plants can undergo shock under drastic weather changes, and most weather events have some kind of impact on plants’ growth, development, and ability to produce.