Over at Oak Forest, I noticed ‘critical drought’ signs posted at the entrances

 to the subdivision.

 

What’s a gardener to do as we enter a third year of drought? First of all, let’s

not fret.  We know the rains will come eventually… we just don’t know when.

 

Our job is to conserve water in every possible way. Here are some suggestions:

 

• Check up Irrigation: Make sure all your systems aren’t leaking and that

their station run times encourage turf grass and landscape plants to develop

deep root systems. Watering times should be longer and less frequent. Roots

will grow deeper, giving plants and turf grass a better chance to survive

drought conditions. Where possible, convert to drip irrigation, which puts the

water directly into the root zone instead of throwing it in the air. This limits

water loss due to evaporation.

 

•Mulch: A 4 inch layer of hardwood, pine bark, pine straw, or hay can dras-

tically cut down evaporation loss to the atmosphere. Mulch also keeps the

oot zone cooler and your plants less stressed.

 

•Plant native and drought tolerant species: The Grow Green program

of the city of Austin has compiled a list of perennials, trees, grasses, and shrubs

that are naturally drought tolerant. This booklet is available at the nursery and

it’s free. We consider it the ‘go-to’ book for landscaping.

 

•Take out some turf: when replacing grass that has died due to the lack of

water, try some native Texas groundcovers. For shady areas, horseherb works

well. You can walk over it and mow it if you like. I have it growing in my dry

shade areas in my backyard. For sun, try homestead verbena, new gold

lantana, and blackfoot daisy. All of these and many more can cover open patches

of ground, look beautiful, and conserve water.

 

By incorporating a few of these common-sense watering practices, and by 

planting water-wise landscapes, we can go a long way toward conserving water

and keeping our plantscapes beautiful.

                               Happy gardening everyone!