COPING WITH DROUGHT
(or 'How I lived without the garden hose attached to my hip')
By Belinda Gallagher

Well, there it is. Another summer of record dry. 2005 proved to be as dry as 2002, the year that we had 78 days in a row with no rain on the property. And believe me; if you rely on well water, you count the days.

After the drought summer of 2002 we had a drought autumn, winter, spring, summer, autumn, etc. Only the wet summer of 2004 provided any relief from several seasons of abnormally low moisture. So I began to shift the garden to drought tolerant plants. And I have been asked to share with you the results in this little article.

The first point that I would like to make is this; I think we need to be more conscious of the water that we use in our gardens. Every indicator out there points to more and more extreme weather conditions, particularly drought in this area. Water in Georgetown is all well-based; even if you live in the populated areas…you are just served by a larger well than mine.

Gone are the days of frequent watering and hosing down the driveway. We can now expect water rates to go higher and water bans/restrictions to be part of summer gardening. So take heed of the following things that I have learned from the past dry seasons, and remember "if it's not worth complaining about, it's not gardening!"

• Mulch, mulch, and then mulch some more. Regardless of the type of garden that you grow, a good layer of mulch will reduce the amount of work that you do. Mulch (I use shredded pine, but there are lots of options) solves several of the work-related issues in a garden. The most important thing good mulch does is reducing the need for watering. Mulch shades the surface of the soil from our baking sun and actually moderates the soil temperature. When the rains do come, the mulch acts like a sponge, absorbing moisture and passing it slowly to the soil. Mulch also is an excellent weed suppressant. Many weed seeds just won't germinate in mulch, and those that do will not have a good grip in the mulch so are easier to pull out.
• Site plants properly in the garden. Don't try to grow Hostas in a full-sun sand bed or cactus under the maple tree. Plants in the correct place in your garden will reduce the amount of watering that you need to do and they will also be stress-free which ultimately means less disease and insect damage. Take heart, there are plants for ALL CONDITIONS. You just may have to search a bit more for the right plant. For example, dry shade (an extremely difficult site) can be filled with perennial foxgloves, Epemediums, Pulmonarias, Campanula punctata, and even our native Soloman's Seal - Polygonatum.
• Not all native plants tolerate drought. While there is a big move to grow more native plant material, plants must be chosen carefully. Some natives prefer oak savannah, light woodlands and water's edge. Remember, most gardens are in artificial environments.
• Try to plant early or late in the season. May, June and September are the best planting times. Plants can establish themselves before the extreme heat and dry.
• Plant close together. Grouped plants can shade the roots for their neighbours.
• Plant in part shade. Even sun-lovers benefit from some shade in the hot and dry summer months.
• Plant bulbs, corms and tubers. These plants just love the hot and dry and will flower better in the year following a dry season.
• Seed production may suffer in drought. Some plants will not produce viable seed in a season of drought so when collecting seed from plants, particularly in the composite family (daisies) save extra seed.
• Some plants will go dormant. Some of the perennials will just go dormant early. Don't despair. Remove the deadened tops. Most will return next year and some might even put on a little foliage in the fall when the rains do come again. Notable in this group are the Primulas, some Campanulas, early flowering Thalictrums, Papavers and woodlanders.

Here are some plants that do well in the drought seasons:

• Trees - Larch, Bur Oak, Colorado Blue Spruce, green ash, Douglas fir, Amur maple, Mountain ash, Red pine, Austrian, Pine, Eastern red cedar
• Shrubs - Wayfaring tree, Mahonia, Caragana, Potentilla, Spirea, Hypericum
• Perennials - Agastache sp., Artemesia, Aster novae- angliae, Astrantia, Baptisia, Cassia, Camassia, some Campanula, Lathyrus (perennial sweet pea), Digitalis, Eryngium, Eremerus, Euphorbia sp., Eriophyllum, Globularia, Helleborus, Hemerocallis, Hesperis, Linum, Oenothera, Onosma, Opuntia, Papaver, Penstemon, Phlomis, Salvia, Scutellaria, Sedums, Serratula, Thermopsis, and Verbascum.
• Ornamental grasses - Miscanthus (once established) will tolerate drought but will not grow as tall, Andropogon (native), Chasmanthium (native), blue oat grass, fescues, Pennisetum, Spodiopogon and some sedges.

When shopping for drought tolerant plants, look for grey or silver foliage, fuzzy or hairy foliage, fragrant foliage, waxy foliage and long thin leaves. All of these traits will suggest a plant well-suited to a dry site!!!