Weatherproof Your Garden

Help ensure that your garden can ride out the vagaries of weather by including plants that handle a wide range of conditions. Daylilies have sometimes been called the "perfect perennial." Low maintenance, heat tolerant and pest resistant, they put up with a wide range of soil types and light conditions, and each variety produces at least a week's worth of prolific blooms. They don't mind occasionally having wet feet and, once established, they're resistant to drought. Extreme dryness may cause them to go dormant, but they usually recover. USDA Zones 3 to 10.

Besides being easy to weed, raised beds allow an early start for spring crops because the soil warms faster than in-ground garden beds. This gorgeous bed of mixed lettuces was posted by RMSer sunangel106.

The tender new foliage on some plants, such as Japanese maple, can get singed by late-spring frosts, but the damage is usually short-lived and doesn't hurt the plant. For maximum protection, avoid planting the dissectum varieties in locations with open southern exposure.

The blossoms of fruit trees and shrubs can be subject to mid-spring frosts. Blueberry blossoms that are fully open are damaged at 28 degrees F. The absolutely best place to plant fruit crops is on a north-facing slope, where the plants won't be stimulated to bud out too early in the year. Another good option: Choose late-blooming cultivars.