Last week was particularly rough for many of us Santa Fe landscapers, particularly those of us who maintain gardens on the Eastside. Thursday’s hail knocked holes in large foliage, beat leaves off the trees, and stripped flowers off of many blooming annuals and perennials.
What do we do? Clean up and keep trying. Many of the groundcovers like the Bishops Weed will still grow a new set of leaves if the old ones are cut, and they will grow fast. Other things will generally regrow but the flowers, particularly in pots, will need a shot of fertilizer.
Many of the plants will never fully recover this year, so cutting them back and mulching may be the best options to keep things tidy for the rest of the growing season.