Please note: Drought tolerant
does not mean “do not water”. It means that once a plant
becomes established, probably after the first season, it will
require little water. Many plants need ample moisture throughout
the growing season. Creating a landscape that is more resilient
in dry weather can cut back on both maintenance time and water
use.
Start by conditioning the soil to develop a drought-resistant
landscape. Soil with organic matter holds water like a sponge.
Before planting, incorporate about five bushels of compost, peat,
rotted sawdust or similar material into the top 10 inches of soil
for every 100-square foot area. In addition to retaining water,
organic matter will provide nutrients and create air pockets important
for healthy roots.
When you’re ready to plant, select annuals, perennials, shrubs
and trees that tolerate dry soil. Ask if they have been “hardened
off,” meaning the plants receive less and less water prior
to sale, so they are used to drier conditions. If you grow your
own seedlings, cut back on water gradually before planting them
outside.
Buy only dark green, sturdy plants. Tall, spindly plants with
pale leaves won’t tolerate dry conditions even if you provide
adequate organic matter and mulch.
Drought-resistant annuals include amaranth, nicotiana, geranium,
marigold, petunia, annual phlox, cosmos, rose moss, annual pink,
gloriosa daisy, dusty miller, annual baby’s breath, strawflower,
verbena, lantana and zinnia.
Perennials that do well in dry conditions are yarrow, butterflyweed,
indigo, coreopsis, gaillardia, daylily, ageratum, liatris, flax,
lupine, poppy, ground phlox, rudbeckia, sedum, prickly pear cactus
and many kinds of ornamental grasses.
Drought-tolerant trees and shrubs include box elder, silk tree,
gray birch, hackberry, osage orange, Japanese black pine, bur
oak, black locust, sassafras, Siberian elm, Japanese barberry,
flowering quince, sweetfern, gray dogwood, witch hazel, juniper,
privet, bayberry, bush cinquefoil and staghorn sumac.
After you have installed your plants, one of the most effective
methods of water conservation is weed control. Weeds can consume
large amounts of water. An effective, long-term method of controlling
weeds is to put a 3- to 4-inch layer of mulch around your plants.
This limits the need for hand weeding and using herbicides.
Determining the direction of prevailing winds and planting or
erecting windscreens can drastically decrease your landscape’s
water consumption. Wind draws a lot of moisture from soil and
plant tissue. Reducing air movement over your plants will reduce
moisture loss. Most windbreaks modify air movement for a distance
of about twice their height. For example, a 6-foot screen reduces
air flow about 12 to 15 feet in front of it. If you have plants
farther away than 15 feet from your windbreak, make sure your
windbreak isn’t channeling wind toward those plants.
Shrubs that make good windscreens include flowering quince (6
ft.), mentor barberry (7 ft.), pea tree (15 ft.), bayberry (10-12
ft.), gray dogwood (12 ft.) and privet (15-20 ft.). Make sure
to plant these shrubs at least 5 feet from your other plants so
that they will not draw water from them.
Under extremely dry conditions, you can prevent moisture loss
by spraying your plants with an antidesiccant, a latex-like film
available at garden centers. The spray forms an invisible, watertight
film over the leaves’ surface. This film does not harm plants
and wears off after a few weeks. Antidesiccants are most effective
on evergreens and mature foliage. New leaves need additional spraying
as they grow. Use when the air temperature is above freezing,
and make sure you cover all the leaves, spraying several times
as plants grow and the film wears off.
It may not be possible to follow all these steps in one season,
but even getting started by following one or two can cut water
consumption and make your landscape healthier and more resilient
in dry weather.
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