While I wasn’t home to witness the onslaught, that didn’t make the following any less painful.
Only six weeks ago, I was Assessing the Damage and grateful the hail that fell during a passing storm was small and the damage we sustained was to a few delicate plants in the garden.
Sunday’s storm was another story altogether.
Gloomy skies and lightning and thunder foreshadowed what was coming. It was 1:30 pm.
The hail started gentle enough, the size of the stones was (relatively) small enough. But it didn’t stay like that for long.
(Dean took these and his hands were a bit shaky, but they still tell the story.)
For almost 20 minutes the hail rained down, with some stones the size of golf balls.
By the time it was over, it was after 2:00 pm and the yard had taken on a completely different look and feel.
We have no damage to our house (unlike my friend Judith who has smashed windows), and other’s nearby who have serious damage. But we were not alone, there were several storm cells that hit other areas, not just the ‘Sunny Coast’ where we live.
We were lucky, but the devastation in my garden is my tale of woe, my heartbreak.
Yes, I do feel heartbroken which is such a strange word to use when talking about plants. I know they’re only plants, but a lot of time and energy has gone into cultivating them, caring for treasured cuttings from family and friends, and I have received in return for my efforts a lot of joy from watching them grow and bloom over the last 2½ years.
Some are now a pummeled, unsalvagable mess that will have to give back to the Earth now in the form of mulch. Others will be cut back and, even though this is not the time of year that I would do that, I will cross my fingers and hope for the best outcome throughout the coming hot weather.
I’ll be honest, I almost cried when I got home.
I was out (somewhere safe) when the storm hit and didn’t get home until after 4:30 pm. As hot as it had been, there was still unmelted hail to be seen in the yard.
I do have plants that survived. My little pineapples are ok, as are the plants I keep in the (undercover) protection of the patio or tucked in under the eaves as the above photo shows. But I’ll have no Agapanthus this year – the flower stalks were ripped from the plants, as were my Hippeastrums. My Grevilleas have been stripped of a good majority of their blooms, but even as I write this, I can hear the birds outside. Grevilleas are resilient and enough of their flowers survived to still attract my feathered friends.
I haven’t even started cleaning up the mess left behind.
But I will this afternoon and (I guess) I do harbour hope that I can salvage more than I have to mulch.
CLARE'S COSMOS 
Oh Clare… I am so sorry this happened to you. Our plants are precious. Perhaps after some pruning they can make a come back.
Thank Goodness everyone is okay. We had some roof damage due to a hail storm… I know how severe they can be. Hugs!
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Yes, first and foremost, we’re ok and our home was not damaged in any way. I still haven’t started cleaning up the mess in the garden, but will on the weekend when I’ve had more time to ponder the ‘how’ of it all 🙂
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So glad you are both safe in all this devastation, but oh your poor poor plants. Our hail is usually no bigger than peas, occasionally maybe the size of a broadbean. I just cannot imagine 20minutes of golf balls. Hope your love and care following and in the weeks and months ahead enables much to recover xx
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Thanx Becky. We were lucky, really lucky, unlike many other people and I think it’s silly to feel sad and a sense of loss over plants. But, having said that, they have given me so much joy as I’ve watched them grow. I’m sure they will recover – eventually.
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It’s not silly, they are something you’ve helped to create. Fingers crossed they recover xx
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Thanx Becky 🙂
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Oh Clare, how awful for you, your green babies, so heartbreaking….let’s hope they are all resilient enough to recover after nature’s pruning…..xx
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I do remain hopeful, Sue. Mother Nature will find a way.
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Gosh, what a sad story Mum. I’m so sorry about your plant children
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Thanx Shell, I’m surprised how much it has upset me but it’s a chance to rethink what I have and where I have it.
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I know exactly what you mean with the heartbroken feelings – plants have life and any death of living things can hurt – all the more when they are your garden fruits of your labor !
And love the video footage to get a feel for the hail and storm progression – glad your house is safe and that you are too
😊🌱🍀🌿
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Thanx Yvette. Still feeling down and depressed about the whole aftermath, though there is a (small) spark inside that remains hopeful that TLC and fertiliser do their job.
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Yes – there is much to be said for TLC and fertilizer –
And your post reminds me that one time back in 1992 – I lived in Florida and we had a day trip to the west part of the state – when we got back to central Florida – they had had a horrible hail storm and everyone was
Filing auto and house claims – I was so thankful to have been gone that day.
Oh and with your plants / well one silver lining might be that sometimes a garden thrives when it gets a huge makeover like this ! Sometimes notes and microbes creep in and we often cannot see – but like turning the soil of a new bed sometimes stirring up an established garden has huge fruits
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I agree. This could be a blessing in disguise 😊
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Let’s look at it that way- to cheer the Gardener’s tender heart!
Have a good week Clare 🌸🌺🌻
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😊💕
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