dᵻspˈaɪt ðə dʒˈɛnɚɹəli mˈaɪld wˈɛðɚ, plˈænts hædtə biː kˈɛɹfəli sᵻlˈɛktᵻd tə tˈɑːlɚɹˌeɪt ðə ʃˈæloʊ ˈælkəlˌaɪn sˈɔɪl ænd sˈɔlt wˈɪndz, ænd ðə ɡˈɑːɹdən sˈʌfɚd sˈɪɹiəs dˈæmɪdʒ ɪnðɪ ʌnjˈuːʒuːəli hˈɑːɹd wˈɪntɚɹ ʌv nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi sˈɪks sˈɛvən, ðə ɡɹˈeɪt stˈoːɹm ʌv nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi sˈɛvən, ænd ɐnˈʌðɚ mˈeɪdʒɚ stˈoːɹm ɪn dʒˈænjuːˌɛɹi nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti.
Despite the generally mild weather, plants had to be carefully selected to tolerate the shallow alkaline soil and salt winds, and the garden suffered serious damage in the unusually hard winter of 1986–7, the Great Storm of 1987, and another major storm in January 1990.