Securing An Exposed Plot

Has gardening on a hill-top taken the wind out of your sails? Tamsin Westhorpe has some calming advice.

- Tamsin Westhorpe

IS your garden battered by prevailing winds and are you trying to grow at a high altitude? If so, you’ll know how challenging gardening in an exposed spot can be.

Coastal plots aren’t the only ones that experience these tricky conditions. Those who live in some of the highest villages in the UK, such as Flash in Staffordshire, Wanlockhead in Dumfries and Nenthead in Cumbria, will know only too well how tricky gardening can be when you’re working so high above sea level.

The natural thing to do when gardening in an exposed plot is to put up fencing to keep the wind out. Sadly, this quick fix will be very ineffective.

In areas of high winds a fence will be quickly damaged. Any angry wind that hits a solid boundary like a fence or wall will pick up speed and cause more damage in the garden.