September 01, 2007

Gardening Summer 2007

Most of us are probably tired of reading, hearing, and experiencing this summer’s drought. Perhaps my memory is getting shorter, but I can’t remember the double whammy we have had this summer happening before: bone dry days and sizzling heat that just seems never to end. Rain showers tease; it rains a half a mile away, and we gaze longingly at the sky hoping some will make it to our house.  Topics of discussion among gardeners revolve around who got rain and how much; conversations about losses already beginning to show up in our gardens are becoming more frequent. This year has really been tough. First, it was warm when it should have been cold; our winter was fairly dry and then the Easter freeze delivered the harsh blow to trees and shrubs that had already put out their spring growth. Gardeners knew that if the trees and shrubs were healthy, they would survive the mean cold snap that occurred over Easter weekend, testing the mettle of our shrubs. Marginally healthy plants might not make it. Those that were on the line with survival are now really, really struggling. Hydrangeas are reeling under the summer’s conditions.  Japanese maples in my garden have completely defoliated; the few remaining leaves look as if they were scorched in a fire. Flowers usually in full bloom are moping. A recent reporter on Channel 13 out of Birmingham stated that landscape losses may mount to the millions by next year. Many of these deaths will not show up until next spring.  A reader wrote in the Birmingham News that if we can not water a little, the local landscapes would soon be devoid of just about every tree, shrub, and flower.

Then, an article in the Birmingham News this past week contained the forecast that this drought may persist through next spring. Pretty soon our water supply is going to need to have a dose of Prozac along with the fluoride. In my hometown, Jacksonville, Alabama, there is a complete outdoor watering ban and a surcharge if you use more that an amount allocated to each household. Each day I walk through the garden checking on the conditions of my plants and look at the skies, hoping that we will receive some of those promised scattered showers. Eagerly, and often hourly, we tune in to the Weather Channel and local weather forecasters to see if anything is headed our way. Advice about gardening in drought conditions is good but doesn’t seem to take into account 100 plus degree days, no rain, and a watering ban on top of that.  A good layer of mulch will help keep the top layer from drying out–but not too deep as the little water we may see can not penetrate the layers. Working the soil really well prior to planting can certainly help make better use of what water there is. We may have to take lessons from our friends on the other coast where xeriscape gardening is the only way to go. There, many folks always run the water into buckets in the shower or bath while waiting for the water to heat up;  they then use the water in their gardens. Out west some area local governments have been paying homeowners to take up grass and plant cactus and add rocks instead.

In Alabama we pride ourselves on our lush golf-course like lawns, our mophead hydrangeas, our stately dogwoods, and colorful azaleas; our landscape may adopt a whole new look with seasons like the ones we have had recently. Gardeners, by their very nature, are eternal optimists as we plant the tiniest seed or sprig or brown corm, knowing something beautiful will grow; we will continue using our wits and our skills to deal with whatever Mother Nature hands our way.