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Windy south facing garden plant ideas

#1 · 20th February 2023, 4:41 pm

Hi all,

Although I love gardens & not a great fan of gardening! I have a few tricky areas in my garden at the front & the back. Firstly at the back I overlook farmers fields and although is totally south facing it can be very windy, what planting ideas would you suggest that are going to add colour & texture to the area without blocking the view of the sheep/cows (quite like those bits!) Also the front of the house has a large area which is 90% shaded - even in high Summer - are there any plants/shrubs that are suited to this area (fern/grasses) that could add interest, colour & height. Currently in this area there is a cronus (dogwood - which needs cutting back I have just discovered how to do it) a Japanese Acer, Peonies and some others which need to be moved as they are not doing to well in their current positions.

Any suggestions would be great - Thank you xx

#2 · 20th February 2023, 9:56 pm

Hi @annap1

It sounds like you’ve got a good challenge on your hands!

Windy and exposed gardens can be a bit tricky to design with but I’ve got some tips for you based on my own experience of designing garden for windy sites.

The tricky bit is getting enough shelter for flowering herbaceous plants. Many of these won’t tolerate too much wind you see. Carex pendula a sedge in the guise as a grass is an excellent wet soil, clay loving and wind tolerant plant though for some movement.

Rudbeckia is pretty stable in winds along with smaller achillea. Mixing these with some suitable shrubs will help keep them upright.

Shrubs for windy gardens:

Physocarpus or Ninebark is a wonderful tough flowering shrub that brings some real punch to a garden. Gorgeous light flowers. Same with Viburnum opulus the Guelder rose. Privet left to grow tall I clipped produces lovely white flowers. Great as a wind break for other plants. Hebes are all super tough too. So give those a go!

If you need more garden help for planting plans using my online garden troubleshooting would be more suitable. We’re we can really get into specifics just for your garden. If that’s of interest you can book it below.

Hope that helps!