Thunderstorms With Heavy Rain? Gotta Move The Potted Plants!

Is it only me? Whenever thunderstorms and heavy rain are predicted, I panic and then scramble to move some of my potted plants out of the path of the imminent deluge. First to be relocated are the tall plants in heavy pots. Moving a pot of poppies and a pot of tall, climbing nasturtiums would normally not be an easy feat. Thank goodness I have the pots on plant dollies. My problem is I only have two. Grumbling, I still have to push, pull, and drag my heavy pots of gladiolus across the deck with nothing but my own two hands and some choice words.  Note to self ... buy more plant dollies. Why do I do this you might ask?

Well, most of my plants love to bask in the sun all afternoon. Problem is the sun is positioned on the other side of the deck in the afternoon. So, when I happen to catch the nice weather person on TV blathering on and on about afternoon thunderstorms and torrential rains,  my eyes begin to glaze over. All I can see are my flowerpots filled with nothing but obliterated flowers, broken stems, and sprawling, flattened leaves.  I must save them ... even the smaller flowerpots tucked into the far corners of the deck unaware of the impending monsoon!

 Since I have shelves built into the corners of my deck, some short pots slide easily underneath a shelf and stay protected from the elements.  My young seedlings and newly started seedlings, whether destined for a spot on a shelf or planted out in a garden later in the season, can temporarily weather any storm in relative safety.

On the other hand, tall seedlings in short pots can present a challenge.  And so can a tall tee-pee trellis made from skinny branches. Got to be creative in a pinch. Ta-Da!  A large, light-weight flowerpot makes a handy umbrella when carefully balanced on the branches.

And how's this for another balancing act?  A small trellis, a self-watering pot saucer,  and two  decent sized rocks will provide a quick make-shift shelter for a flowerpot threatened by the ravages of wind and rain.  Oh, there are 2 rocks. The other rock is on top of the saucer, but you can't see it because of the angle.

In photo #2, you probably didn't notice this plant on the lower left side. Another case of improvising, although it doesn't have anything to do with thunderstorms or rain. The plant is catnip.  I needed to make it cat-proof ... fast.  I had some left-over plastic deer fencing I could use to cover the plant with, but I needed something to fasten it in place. I was all out of plastic ties. Then I remembered I had some cheap, dollar store clothespins that I had used in the past for some craft project.  Not very attractive I must admit, but hey!  It does the trick in a pinch!