There’s no doubt that August and September were drought months in our area. With global warming, there are likely to be more years like this in the future. As Master Gardeners we need to educate ourselves as to how to help our plants through drought conditions as well as learn what plants are best suited for dry times and then use those plants in planning new or changing landscapes.
Using mulch is one of the best drought defenses. A one or two inch layer of wood chips, pine needles, grass clippings, hay or straw will conserve soil moisture for much longer than you would think.
When watering, water deeply and less often. Water evaporates quickly from the top couple inches of soil and most of it will not reach the roots. If you water a little every day, much of the water is lost to evaporation and there is none left deep in the soil for the plants to draw from.
Most native plants will do well in times of drought. They were growing on their own without supplemental water from humans long before we arrived. There are some native plants that won’t be able to adapt to changing climate conditions as quickly as the changes happen, but as a whole, they will do much better than any other plants.
This year in Rosemary’s Tree ID class, we have seen many trees very stressed by the drought. Many of them will not live over the winter or will bud out next spring and then die. I took the Tree ID class four years ago and when Rosemary said that a tree was drought-tolerant, it was just two more words I wrote in my notebook. This year, the words have much more significance.
This is a good time to observe which trees are doing well in drought conditions and use those types of trees in your future landscape plans.
Along with observing the trees, take a walk around your yard and notice which plants are doing well and which you have to water every few days. Make it a point to include the drought tolerant plants in your future plans.
Two good books that deal with this subject are Dry-Land Gardening by Jennifer Bennett and Xeriscape Plant Guide by Denver Water and American Water Works Association. Dry Land Gardening has chapters on Lawns, Grasses and Groundcovers, Bulbs, Perennials and Vines, Vegetables and Annual Flowers, Herbs, Roses and Shrubs. Xeriscape Plant Guide chapters include Trees and Shrubs, Perennials and Vines, Ground Covers and Grasses, Annuals and Shade Plants. While neither book is a native plant guide, most plants included are, not coincidentally, native.
This October, make sure your perennials and trees, especially evergreens, are well hydrated before cold weather comes. Water continues to evaporate from evergreen needles the entire winter so it is important that they are watered very well before the ground freezes and they are unable to draw up more water through their roots.
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