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Drought Resistant Gardening Good Idea for
Rain-Starved State
By
Carol L. Spence
 LEXINGTON,
Ky., (June 6, 2007) – Spring has been especially cruel this
year, teasing gardeners with unseasonably warm weather in March,
slapping them down with a hundred-year freeze in April and now
drying them out with below-normal precipitation. The question in
many people's minds is, if it's this dry this early, what's the
rest of the summer going to be like?
Since the first of the year, the southern part of the state has
seen seven to eight fewer inches than normal precipitation. The
northern counties are behind in their precipitation by two to
four inches. But gardeners don’t need to know those numbers. All
they have to do is run a shovel into their soil. Its cracks and
dust have an August-like quality.
Tom Priddy, meteorologist with University of Kentucky College of
Agriculture, says that much of this trend has to do with a
developing La Niņa system in the Pacific.
“What that means for Kentucky is that it would continue the
trend of dry conditions through the summer months, but it would
enhance the tropical Atlantic hurricane season.”
Remembering the active hurricane season of 2005 when “we had
remnants of four different tropical systems dump rain on
Kentucky,” Priddy said that La Niņa can be a “double-edged
sword.”
“We don’t want to see that above-normal hurricane activity
because of all the damage it causes to other parts of the U.S.,
but in the past that has helped us significantly in the state of
Kentucky with La Niņa in the summertime,” Priddy said.
Let’s face it, though. When it comes to the weather, anything
could occur. And in the meantime, our flower gardens are gray
with dust and our newly planted vegetable beds are looking worse
for wear. So what’s a gardener to do?
Perhaps Kentuckians can take a tip from other parts of the
country that have learned to deal with extended periods of
drought. The method, known as xeriscaping in drier western
climes, is to understand the nature of the site and the region.
Don’t fight the conditions. Select native plant material. It is
quite likely that the current conditions have occurred before,
so native plants must be at least somewhat adapted to deal with
these situations.
Remember, a particular site has its own characteristics, so
don’t try to go against what nature has provided. For instance,
if the site gets strong afternoon sun, don’t plant thirsty shade
plants. In most cases, it’s wasted energy and results in more
work and more outlay of resources such as water, fertilizer –
both of which mean money – and time.
Take a discerning look at nature in the area and follow her
advice. Group plants that have similar needs, putting
heat-loving, drought resistant plants together in areas that
receive full sun, and less hardy plants in semi-shade and nearer
to a water source.
Placing plants according to sun and water requirements will only
go so far in drought-proofing the home landscape. Of utmost
importance is soil preparation. Making sure the soil has a
healthy proportion of organic matter will improve its ability to
take in and retain moisture.
Rick Durham, UK extension consumer horticulture specialist,
recommends improving the soil by mixing in organic matter, but
says it takes more than just shoveling some compost onto the
site.
“It’s probably best not to just put compost straight on the
surface of the soil,” he said. “What we find is it tends to
crust, so when you do get a rain, it’s going to be harder for
the water to soak through. If you use compost, it’s good to mix
it into the top several inches of soil.”
What Durham does recommend putting on top of the soil is mulch,
an important weapon in the battle to conserve moisture during
hot spells. He recommends bark-based mulches, such as pine bark
and pine bark nuggets, because they tend to break down more
slowly than other types. Though he says hardwood mulch can be a
good choice, it tends to decompose faster than bark-based
mulches and in doing so, ties up the nitrogen in the soil.
“Basically, what it’s doing is composting right there on the
soil surface. Because there’s not a balance there of carbon and
nitrogen, it’s going to bring in nitrogen from the soil,” he
said. “If you’re fertilizing regularly, you probably won’t
notice it. But for people who don’t add very much extra nitrogen
to the soil, it can tie up the nitrogen (that is already there)
and make plants look stunted or light green –the symptoms of
nitrogen deficiency.”
As for vegetable gardens, those thirsty plants, too, can benefit
from a two- to three-inch layer of mulch.
“Straw is probably one of the preferred mulches to use in
vegetable gardens. Grass clippings can be used, as well,” Durham
said. “We typically stay away from some of the woody-type
mulches in vegetable gardens because of that nitrogen issue.”
So what plants fit the bill for a potentially hot and dry
Kentucky summer?
“Some annuals that would do really well in heat would be the
Celosia or cockscomb, and the Gomphrena, which is globe
amaranth,” he said. “Some of the verbenas, they’ll survive the
heat. They may not flower as much when it’s hot and dry, but
typically they’ll survive and then once we get rain, they’ll
come back and put another round of flowering.”
Of the perennials, yarrow, Rudbeckia or black-eyed Susans, and
many sedums can help the garden beat the heat. Some of the
smaller asters do well also.
Finally, watering methods are very important. Rather than
turning the sprinkler on in the middle of the day, when much of
the water can evaporate before it soaks into the ground, Durham
suggests directing the water low to the ground with soaker hoses
or hand-watering devices.
For more information about drought-proofing the home landscape,
contact your local Cooperative Extension office. |
Contact: Rick Durham, 859-257-3249
Tom Priddy, 859-257-3000, ext. 245
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The UK College
of Agriculture, through its land-grant mission, reaches across
the commonwealth with teaching, research and extension
to enhance the lives of Kentuckians. |
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