Droughts and Gardens

Posted by Kate Copsey Jun 20, 2006

Gardening in Drought Conditions

People in the southwest are very aware of droughts, but those of us in the Midwest or east coast also have to deal with these very dry conditions occasionally. Unfortunately they spring up rather unexpectedly and many people do not have enough time to prepare. Gardens and lawns that are used to consistent water levels suffer, and drought regulations restrict watering to help them. Indeed, Georgia has just issued a state wide watering restriction because temperatures are high while rain is almost non existent.

There are a few things that you can do though to maintain your landscape through these conditions.

1 Water at the surface level rather than overhead. For flowerbeds use a soaker or 'leaky' hose to deliver the water to plants and shrubs for maximum efficiency.

2 Water in the evening or early morning. Temperatures are cooler and the plants can absorb the water before it evaporates. Traditionally evening watering has been shunned because of fungus problems developing. This is rarely a problem in drought conditions and as people who work do not have time in the morning to water, the evening will work just fine.

3 Favor annuals, then perennials, over shrubs and trees as the roots for these plants are closer to the surface where the dry conditions exist.

4 Unless you have a just seeded your lawn, relax watering it. In high temperatures most grasses go dormant, especially cool season grasses. They will revive when cooler weather and rain returns.

5 Above all - if your state or town has a water crisis and bans all watering, remember the garden can be revived/replanted when conditions for growing are more reasonable. Do not try to cheat by watering quietly, someone will notice and it is not fair to your neighbors or the environment.

Clearly if dry conditions happen on a regular, or even semi regular basis, consider your planting scheme and try to adjust it to more drought tolerant species.