If your garden was one of the many that was lashed by the latest string of hail storms, here's what to do for:
• Annuals: If your annuals are badly damaged, you may be out of luck. "I don't think annual plants are going to come back," said said Mary Meyer, a professor and extension horticulturist with the University of Minnesota. "They don't have much going for them. They don't have much of a root system, so you may have to replace them." That goes for the plants in your patio containers as well as your vegetables.
• Perennials: Cut off leaves that are badly torn. (The damaged parts will brown, look bad and may invite insects and diseases.) Tough plants such as hosta, bee balm and phlox will most likely grow new leaves. Other more delicate plants such as ferns may not put on new growth, but should come back next year, as long as they have some foliage to feed the roots. Plants that have lost all their foliage are iffy.
• Trees and shrubs: Healthy trees and shrubs should be fine, even if they lost a lot of leaves. However, be sure to cut back any broken stems or branches on your shrubs and call in a pro to deal with large trees. Leaves might regenerate, branches won't.
• Filling in: Give your plants several weeks to bounce back a bit. If you end up with some holes in your garden, fill them with annuals, perennials or some very indestructible yard art.
CONNIE NELSON
