Alys Fowler: tough plants for windy plots

Japanese anemones are pretty undefeatable even in dry, shady soil. Photograph: Alamy

I am one of those driven mad by too much wind. My thoughts become hounded, I quickly become irritable. I can’t adapt but, with time, there are plenty of plants that will.

Early on in a plant’s life, high winds loosen roots, break and twist fragile stems and scorch foliage as the plant battles to keep moisture levels up. For tender young plants, some sort of barrier until they get settled is important in exposed situations.

Plants have adapted in all sorts of ways to life in the turbulent zone: bananas have leaves like sails, till they rip themselves to shreds so as not to blow over; trees send roots in the opposite direction to the prevailing wind to anchor in; grasses bend and alpines cling. The trick is to choose the right lot, so your whole garden sways appropriately. Lush, quick growth from too much nitrogen is always weak, so treating your perennials a little mean will, in the end, result in stronger growth. For borderline floppers, staking early is everything. If you feel windswept, they will, too, so don’t gamble – stake.

The best shelter is a layer of trees and shrubs staggered to filter the wind. Hawthorn makes resilient hedging, while Scots pines, willows, sycamores and poplars are flexible enough for the toughest gales. If you don’t have space for them, windbreak material or wattle fencing will do.

The back of the border should be made up of hardy soldiers to shelter the rest. Eupatoriums are among the toughest; they have large umbels of flowers in late summer – and the butterflies adore them. Eupatorium purpureum subsp maculatum or Joe-pye weed is an American species with some lovely cultivars, including the compact ‘Purple Bush’. I’ve seen it grown without support in some tough places, but if in doubt, stake. It likes organic matter around its feet, so mulch in spring.

Vernonia also survives extremes and makes a brilliant framework. It’s a classic prairie plant, so suits being with eupatorium and robust grasses such as miscanthus. Vernonia fasciculata or ironweed has short, sturdy stems, making it very tough. Sea holly (eryngium species) is worth a look, particularly for more free-draining scree, gravel and coastal gardens. Japanese anemones are pretty undefeatable, even in dry, shady soil, particularly if – you’ve guessed it – you stake them.

Short, thick-stemmed alliums such as A. angulosum are perfect near the front of a border, and veronicas rarely need staking. V. ‘Shirley Blue’ makes undulating mounds for the front of the border and trailing V. umbrosa ‘Georgia Blue’ will drape over walls or border edges.

I like the white forms of the everlasting pea (Lathyrus latifolius): this will grow through shrubs or tumble down a windswept bank. Low-growing ground-cover geraniums, if given something to get their roots into, will take any aspect. G. macrorrhizum ‘Ingwersen’s Variety’ is good for shade and evergreen to boot.