I don't have a lot of experience with this, but my instinct is that it may be better not to stake the trees. Trees bend to the wind so the wind does not break them. If you stake them, you may do more damage because as the wind pushes the tree, the bark or even the entire tree can be strained against the wire with which you have staked it . Some things that may help if you are prepared and safe in all other areas: 1.you could prune buds blooms off any shrubs ( the rose lilac etc) You can prune down the blueberries blackberries and even the trees so there is less for the wind to catch. 2. You don't mention where you are, other than zone 5 NE, but you said the magnolia has defoliated. Since my magnolias are just in the process of losing their leaves, but I am zone 4 central NH, I am going to assume a seasonal similarity. If you can, bring the magnolia into the garage, or inside. If it is heavy and its worth it to you you can usually rent a dolly at the hardware store that makes moving large pots easier. 3. If things are going dormant for winter where you are, as I am assuming, you can cut back any perennials. Even if they are still green, they will be going dormant before they can send out new growth - so its okay to cut them back a little earlier than you planned. 4.If you winter prune your fruit trees, you can do that now to limit wind damage. The risk is that the winter will be bad and freeze the new cuts - but my guess is that is a pretty low risk. Depending on how the forecasts progress I may do this step myself. (I have already cut back all perennials in my garden and in my customers gardens) 5. If I am correct that you are in the NE, I would also prepare for heavy wet snow. ANything you would do in your region to prepare for that I would recommend doing. Except maybe wrapping shrubs. I drove through Vermont several times this summer, and the devastation there from hurricane Irene is tremendous. The mountains funneled the torrential rains, flooding streams, rivers towns and roads. I took some pictures intending to post them for discussion; maybe this is timely, but I will start a new thread. We could also call this Hurricane Kelsey: My daughter Kelsey is flying from santiago chile to miami tonight and then to Boston tomorrow after 3 months away. The path of the hurricane is threatening her flights and I think she will be pretty upset to go from spring in Chile, completely miss fall and land in Winter here. Whatever, I just can't wait for her to get home!!

You should not need to poly your paint in order for it to be "protected". The proper prep job will determine if you have issues with it chipping, and water spots shouldn't occur on fully cured paint. If the prep didn't include TSP, sanding, priming with an alkyd primer, and two top coats, then you will have issues with the finish regardless of if you apply poly. In fact, applying poly could accelerate the issues. Wait a week for the paint to be fully cured, and it should withstand normal wear just fine if you used a quality paint.

When dealing with continuous rain you have to take into account the type of plant. Plants in the ground need to be placed where they can do their best. Unusual weather is something they either deal with or don't. Those that require perfect drainage and are already in pots are usually safeguarded by removing the saucer from below the pot. Also the season when continuous rain occurs can be a factor. Plants such as lavender require summer dryness, and a week of rain from a tropical depression in mid to late summer can be harmful. In this case the pot is best moved to a covered porch. Hail damage is the worst. Large hail or very heavy falls can turn plants to mush. Plants beneath trees are somewhat protected by the leaves and stems of the tree. Most perennial plants that are damaged by hail will regrow, but you may need to move them somewhere to recuperate until they are again presentable. The decision to cut off severely damaged growth is done on a case by case basis. This HAIL-DAMAGED HOSTA is going to look bad the rest of the season, but cutting back more than the worst damage might do more harm than good.

" A few have said, don't shade tomato plants, they love the sun no matter how high the temp. While others have said ABSOLUTELY provide them shade, especially on extremely hot days where the temp exceeds 90 degrees with midday sun. I'm a bit confused as to what's the best choice." It isn't an either/or choice. First because they are talking about normal weather patterns - which you don't have right now. Second, it depends on the age of the plants and the amount/degree of shade. Well established, big tall plants in the production stage of their life can tolerate much more sun and heat than young still-getting-established plants can. And we aren't talking about full dark shade, just something that cuts the sun exposure by 10-20% during the hottest part of the day (which is usually around 2-4 pm). Harry's old white sheet, window screens, or best some of the various row covers/shade cloth sold for that purpose. They still get plenty of sun but the heat is reduced a bit. And, even well-established blooming plants will not set fruit with temps in the mid-nineties so many use shade cloth just to drop the temps 5 degrees during those unusually hot periods. There are no absolute rules in growing. We have to adjust, to try to find a balance, for the variety of conditions as they develop. Dave