What, Me Water? Notes from a Drought-Stricken Suburb

I think I just wrote my first newspaper column that's pure rant.  I haven't heard from the editor yet but meanwhile, whadaya think?

Everywhere we look this fall we're seeing dead or doomed plants that didn't make it through the drought. Why?  Not because they did anything wrong.  Plants behave in pretty predictable ways.  No, what's to blame is this worst-case scenario - the climate changing and humans having to adapt.  Starting with our government, there's plenty of evidence that we humans don't DO adaptation to nature very well, but it's obvious that too many homeowners think the drought doesn't affect them.  It's just those farmers out in the hinterlands that have to pay attention, right?  For us suburbanites this summer has meant great beach weather and no bothersome rains to spoil our parties and baseball games.  It hasn't even been intolerably hot, so to most Americans, the summer was just grand.

But there's this question I'm hearing almost daily: What's wrong with my (Name the Plant)?" Then after I bring up the topic of, you know, no rain, they follow up with: "I'm supposed to be doing something about it?" And the body language conveys annoyance or resignation at the sight of their landscaping investment going up in crispy brown leaves, never to be green again.

What accounts for this lack of attention to the plants growing just outside the front door?  It's all part of the disconnect that folks in urban areas have with nature, a problem that's in the news a lot lately thanks to Richard Louv's best-selling Last Child in the Woods and the many schools that are creating gardens and natural areas for the kids to tend. (North Carolinians are campaigning for designation of an official "Take You Child Outside Week," the very need for which reveals our sorry condition as a species.)  And when kids grow up totally indoors or on sports fields, without experiences like camping or growing plants or just digging in the dirt, they grow up to be nature-ignorant as adults.  Unlike the 4-H kids I see at the Montgomery County Fair, who I can't imagine letting their new trees and shrubs burn up and die before their eyes.

"JUST MAKE IT LOW-MAINTENANCE"
So everyone and their cousin wants a low-maintenance garden and by that they mean no-maintenance and what a bummer it is to be told by yours truly that no such thing exists.  Even patios and decks require maintenance; it's just the nature of anything being outdoors.  Granted, most people have time limitations, but I'm also seeing signs of a strong aversion to physical labor.  I get looks of horror at the suggestion that a plant can be moved if it isn't in the right place.  "You do that yourself?" I'm asked.  Oh, yes, repeatedly; that's what gardeners do.

But there's something else going on here.  There's a certain leftie, go-with-the-flow attitude that's very appealing (to me, too) and when it comes to imperfectly gleaming kitchen floors, I'm fine with it.  But it can also lead to this mistaken notion - that you can just leave a garden alone and it'll eventually look like a painting by Rousseau, not the weedy mess it will actually become.  Chores like fertilizing the lawn are dismissed as out-dated, but turfgrass is not a sustainable plant and when it's not fed it becomes spotty and weed-filled, well on its way to reverting to forest.  So people, maintenance must be done - either by you or, if you can afford it, by someone else. 

But worse than patchy lawns, the real heart-breaker is to see the trees and shrubs that have been neglected to death this summer. That's a crazy waste of not just money but of the time those plants have spent in the ground growing for you.  Oh, I forgot.  Reputable nurseries guarantee their plants.  But PLEASE don't take your dead plants back to a struggling independent nursery, swear to them that you watered them enough, and ask for a free replacement.  Because you probably did NOT water them enough; the nursery people know that and you may not yet but probably will after you've killed a few more.  Give the nurseries a break and just assume that YOU killed it, and learn from your mistake.

DROUGHT-TOLERANT PLANTS FOR BUSY HOMEOWNERS
And the next time you're choosing plants for your garden, do yourself and your nursery a favor and choose ONLY those that are drought-tolerant.  That way, even if you're unwilling to coddle your plants during our increasingly perilous summers, they have a good chance of surviving.  Google "drought-tolerant shrubs" or whatever you're looking for, or the word "xeriscaping" to get plant suggestions, and then stick to them.  (The NC State sites on the subject are excellent.)  Local recommendations are great, too, like Takoma's horticultural Yahoo list or garden center staff.  Or check out High Country Gardens.com, everyone's favorite supplier of drought-tolerant plants, in Santa Fe.

My own personal drought-tolerant favorites are:
     -Perennials like sedum, aster, purple coneflower, rudbeckia (black-eyed susan), daylilies, hostas, lamb's ear, salvia, Russian sage, yarrow and ornamental grasses
    -Shrubs and small trees like aucuba, nandina, spirea, weigela, beautybush (kolkwitzia), lespedeza, butterfly bush, juniper, English laurel, rugosa rose, oakleaf and Tardiva hydrangeas, caryopteris, forsythia, crapemyrtle, Asian and hybrid dogwoods, sumac, and hybrid boxwoods.

DON'T FORGET DRAINAGE
While all these plants are doing fine, none are sitting in low, wet spots.  Many drought-tolerant plants are from mountainous areas or the Mediterranean region and will die if left to wallow in wet soil, especially during winter.  And climate change is causing more extremes of precipitation, so don't forget that Maryland really ISN'T New Mexico and our garden plants need to survive the occasional wet period, too.  Make sure to give them good drainage, by using raised beds or mixing organic material or coarse sand into the soil, or even placing the plant slightly above grade.

ASK YOURSELF SOME QUESTIONS

Before buying a plant, find out what it'll take to keep it alive and thriving.  Is it thirsty, buggy, disease-prone?  Does it flop without staking or spread to kingdom come and back?  Then only buy that plant if you're willing to give it the attention it needs - honestly.

And it's a good time to ask yourself the same question about the plants that are already in your garden: Are you willing to coddle the weaker, less drought-tolerant ones?  Maybe not. This year I resigned to let two rhododendrons meet their maker, and sadly, accept the same fate for three American dogwoods too far from a water source to easily save.  We're making some sad choices nowadays.

For more information about coping with drought, see Joel Lerner's excellent article on the subject: "Strategies to Beat the Heat."

Comments

[Pam/Digging]

Great rant! I may share it with my clients who request ultra low-maintenance gardens, just to inject a little reality back into the discussion.

[Jenn]

Would you submit this to other newspapers?? I'd love to see this in print in our area -- instead of the happy little articles on how great knock out roses are (and yes, I have one and like it). We get such drivel and no real substance in our paper. ugh.

[Glen Barnhardt]

It's a shame that we as humans get so busy that we forget to take care of such beauty as our plants and flowers. They bring wonderful fragrance to our lives and for me looking across a plush green lawn with beautiful flowers and plants is just so relaxing. Add a little running water and your in for a good nap.

For those of you who are looking for a way to cut frequency of watering there are now pots that have a reservoir built in so that you don't have to water as often. You might check your local garden store or search on the Internet to find these.

Of course this only works for potted plants.

[Bruce]

You might want to check out drip irrigation. It's a more efficient method of watering. It can also be automated with a timer to help cut down on maintenance (as opposed to enjoyment) time in the garden. Not hard to set up or change either.

[Bruce]

You might want to check out drip irrigation. It's a more efficient method of watering. It can also be automated with a timer to help cut down on maintenance (as opposed to enjoyment) time in the garden. Not hard to set up or change either.