How should I prepare my garden for a Storm?
A storm can cause significant damage to your garden, from broken plants and trees to damaged garden furniture. In this blog, we’ll explain how to effectively prepare your garden for an impending storm.
Storm Setup
When we think of a storm, we often picture strong winds and heavy rain. These conditions can bring a lot of debris into your garden and easily blow away lighter items, such as garden furniture. Therefore, it's essential to position objects smartly. Place all items in locations that are sheltered from the wind, such as against the house, fence, garage, or shed. Keeping items close together can also reduce the risk of them toppling over. Whenever possible, lay down parasols flat. In the case of a severe storm, you can even tie plants together with a rope or net for added security.
Garden Furniture Covers
One of the best ways to protect your garden furniture is by using covers. At Garden Furniture Cover Shop, we offer a wide range of covers for all types of outdoor items, including complete lounge sets, barbecues, parasols, chairs, tables, and more. Our high-quality Raffles Covers are designed to keep your garden items safe from the weather elements during a storm. A cover effectively blocks rain, wind, and dirt, making it an essential accessory when bad weather strikes.
Optimal protection for garden furniture
For maximum protection, we recommend covering each piece of garden furniture individually. This method provides better defence than using a single cover for multiple items. If you choose to cover several pieces, like a lounge set, arrange them smartly underneath the cover. For instance, place the backs of chairs and sofas against one another to create a slope in the middle. This setup allows water to drain away more easily and prevents puddles from forming on the cover, which can lead to condensation underneath. You can enhance the slope further by positioning a footstool or lounge table at the centre of the set.
Covers for parasols
As mentioned earlier, laying parasols flat can help during storms. However, ensure that water doesn’t run into the parasol cover when laid down. If you have fixed parasols that cannot be laid flat, bringing them indoors is ideal, though this isn't always feasible. We strongly recommend using a parasol cover, particularly when the parasol is laid flat outside during stormy weather. For more information on parasol covers, check out our blog, "Why should you use a parasol cover?"
Accessories for garden furniture covers
While covers protect your garden furniture from storms, additional accessories may be necessary to create a peak for water drainage or to prevent the cover from blowing away. Here are some useful options:
Creating a slope / dome
At Garden Furniture Cover Shop, we offer various products designed to create a slope under your cover. One of the best solutions is the RWSC, or Raffles Water Shedding Cushion. These inflatable cushions help create a peak and allow water to drain effectively, preventing puddles from forming. The RWSC is included for free with most Raffles Covers and comes in three sizes: RWSC5050, RWSC8060, and RWSC16060. Another option is the RWSP, or Raffles Water Shedding Pole, which is easy to assemble and can also be placed under the cover to create a peak that reduces the risk of water accumulation. The RWSP comes with most AeroCovers.
Weighting the cover
Strong winds are common during storms and can easily lift covers if they aren’t secured. To keep your cover in place, make sure any elastic strings or fastening straps are tightened. We also offer sandbags that can be easily attached to the cover. These sandbags can be filled with sand and secured at the base of the cover using a clamping system. Raffles Covers provides them in packs of 6 (RSBAG6) or 10 (RSBAG10). If you have an AeroCover, matching sandbags are also available in packs of 4 (7812) or packs of 10 including a water shedding pole (7810). Be careful not to overload the cover, as excessive weight can cause tearing, especially with lower-quality materials. Fortunately, Raffles Covers are made of high-quality fabric that is unlikely to tear.
Extra securing options
Sometimes, additional measures are necessary to keep the cover secure. Raffles Covers offers various accessories for this purpose. The RClips6 are handy clips that attach to your garden furniture cover and work best in conjunction with a rope. Alternatively, you can opt for elastic bungee cords with hooks from Raffles Covers. These hooks can easily be threaded through the clip's eye and securely fastened around a table leg, for instance. Tension straps are available in three sizes: RHook6S, RHook6M, and RHook6L. Lastly, the RBungee6 is a small elastic that can be threaded through the clip’s eye and wrapped around a chair leg for added security.