Gardening Sweet Spots
By Donna Hessel
Residents in hot, dry states have created gardens using drought tolerant plants that thrive in those conditions. Cacti, succulents, aloe, yucca and ornamental grasses that love full sun and don’t require frequent watering are selections that can be grown in sandy soil or even in gravel beds. Lush, green lawns are few and far between. Fortunately, in northeast Ohio drought-resistant plants will survive a long dry spell.
Drought Tolerant vs. Drought Resistant
You may see both of these terms on local plant tags, but there is a difference. Drought-tolerant plants, such as cacti and succulents, have adapted through evolution to thrive with minimal water. Drought-resistant landscaping features plants, such as black-eyed Susan and coneflower, that can survive extended periods of dry weather but do best with moderate or regular water.
How Plants Have Adapted to Environmental Changes
Plant adaptations include physical structural changes, reaction to the environment and cellular adaptations. All plants need light. Have you noticed that shade-loving plants tend to have larger leaves? These larger leaves catch more light needed for photosynthesis. Some may grow taller to capture needed sunlight. Sunflowers can turn to follow the sun (heliotropism) and others have adapted using photoperiodism, responding to the length of the day or night to determine bloom time.
Water is essential. If rainfall is rare or light, plants may develop a shallow but extensive root structure to capture as much as possible. Other plants may develop deep tap roots to reach water supplies. Some plants such as succulents store water in fleshy roots, stems or leaves. Water loss through transpiration may be implemented through fewer or smaller leaves, or leaves that fold or wilt to reduce the transfer of water into the air.
Temperature is a significant environmental factor. In cold winter weather and limited water supply, annual plants die off and deciduous plants lose their leaves. The waxy coating of conifer needles protects them from the cold and also diminishes water loss. Rhododendron leaves curl in periods of cold, slowing the thawing process. Strong winds also pose a danger to plants and trees. Some plants are flexible and bend with the wind, some have massive trunks and branches or deep tap roots, some have smaller leaves; all of which provide resistance to the wind.
Building a Climate-Resilient Garden
Recognizing that the climate is changing and reacting to that knowledge is the first step. Selecting the right plants for the right places will assure that your gardens can adapt to evolving conditions. Recognizing plants that thrive naturally in your location and type of soil and adding those will mean less watering, fertilizing and maintenance. Planting a diverse group of plants both extends bloom time and provides shelter for birds and insects as they react to changes in their environment. Growing plants that have similar needs or planting those that are adaptable or have already evolved to survive multiple climate changes is fundamental. Start now to create a drought-resistant landscape.
- Evaluate your site. Consider light, soil, temperature and humidity. Note how the light falls in different seasons. Recognize that different conditions may occur in different areas of your yard, including drier, wetter and transitional zones.
- Make a plan. Create a rough sketch of plants for various zones in your yard.
- Amend the soil. Depending on what you are planting, you may want to amend your soil to better retain and capture rainwater. Add organic material, compost, decomposed leaves, manure or a combination. Perlite, vermiculite or lava rock will assist aeration at the root zone if you are planting cactus or succulents.
- Select plants. Choose plants that require less water, ideally natives, which will also attract local pollinators and birds to your garden. Plants with silver foliage are more drought resistant. Make sure the plants you select are not invasive.
- Place plants close together. Densely planted beds shade the soil, which reduces water evaporation and suppresses weeds.
- Plant trees. A canopy of trees will cool your yard and home, act as a windbreak and reduce water evaporation.
Conserving Water
Even after you’ve planted a drought-resilient garden, consider how to conserve water and use it wisely – if only to reduce your water bill. Here are some suggestions.
- Reduce or eliminate your lawn. This practice is not only on trend, it reduces a lot of water that is needed to maintain a lush green lawn, as well as mowing time. Not all of your lawn needs to be eliminated. Create areas of groundcovers such as dead nettle, creeping thyme, sedums or short ornamental grasses to control water runoff and reduce evaporation.
- Plant natives. Once established, natives require less supplemental water, little or no fertilizer and are more resistant to pests and diseases.
- Add permeable hardscape and outdoor rooms. Permeable pavers or gravel allow water to percolate into the ground instead of running off. Patios, decks and other outdoor living spaces reduce the amount of planted areas.
- Add a rain barrel. Collect water from gutter downspouts to water garden beds.
- Create a rain garden or a water-efficient slope. Terrace slopes to control rainwater runoff and add rain gardens to collect runoff. Place the most drought-resistant plants at the top of a slope or rain garden, with plants that like the most water at the bottom where rainwater will collect.
Adding Drought-Resistant Plants
If you would like to add some drought-resistant perennials to your garden this year and are wondering what your choices might be, Bluestone Perennials, a nursery in Madison, has posted a list of drought-resistant plants available from their nursery. They can also be ordered online at bluestoneperennials.com. You can find details on each of the following plants on their website. As a local Northeast Ohio nursery growing their own plants, you can be confident that plants selected from this list will thrive in your garden, drought or no drought:
Watering Wisely
Drip irrigation or soaker hoses deliver water to plant roots and reduce evaporation. A watering wand directs water around the base of plants in containers or in a garden bed. Watering early or late when temperatures are cooler reduces evaporation. Water plants deeply and less frequently and don’t overwater plants that are adapted to dry conditions. A layer of mulch around plants will help to retain moisture, cool the soil and suppress weeds. Keep removing pesky weeds that compete with garden plants for water.
Establishing Your Garden
Drought-resistant gardens don’t happen overnight. Drought-resistant plants still need to be watered deeply (to a depth of 6-12”) and regularly (daily for a week, then daily every other week, then every 2 to 3 days), for their first season to become established. Larger trees and shrubs may take 3 to 5 years to become established. Eventually allow plants to dry out slightly between watering to toughen roots and encourage them to seek out water. Even after established, most plants fare better with occasional deep summer watering.
Even as plants are evolving and adapting to climate change, so must gardeners adapt, partnering with nature, not ignoring nor resisting change, but likewise evolving.
Resources:
Proven Winners “Winners Circle” newsletter – 7-21-23; “Guide to Climate Resilient Gardening”
by Heather Wheatley
Garden Design Newsletter – 7-15-2023; “Drought-tolerant Landscaping Ideas” by Janet Loughrey, Garden Writer & Photographer
Horticulture Online Newsletter – 2-8-23; “Plant Adaptations Help Them Survive Climate Extremes” by Ed Brotak
Bluestone Perennials.com
