4 tips for gardening during a drought

With drought conditions now affecting so many towns and villages around the world, many homeowners are about to give up on their gardens. Don’t despair – there are ways to beat the drought and continue gardening. Here are a 4 tips for gardening during a drought to help.

1) Choose the right plants

Start by looking at your neighbours’ gardens to see what’s working for them. Don’t assume that just because a plant has loads of blooms it’s a high-water use plant. For example, once established, with their two-tier root system, Flower Carpet® roses are extremely drought tolerant and will continue to bloom even under very difficult circumstances.

Other low-to-moderate flowering perennials to consider include cordylines like the Festival™/Fountain™ series (see below planted with ornamental grasses), a variety of sages and salvias, agastache, lavender, penstemons, euphorbia, lupines and of course sedums and succulents. And don’t forget shrubs! The new Pacific™ series of coprosmas need little water once established while providing months of gorgeous colour; honeysuckle, daphnes like new Perfume Princess™, and buddleja are other good low-water shrub options.

Colourful Festival / Red Fountain cordyline in mixed planting

2) Mulch, mulch and more mulch

A good layer of mulch saves an amazing amount of moisture in the soil. The best options are usually wood chips, shredded wood, wheat straw, grass clippings, chopped leaves or a mix of several types of materials. In some climates, pea gravel can also serve as a great mulch option, as seen below with rosemary, yucca and Flower Carpet roses thriving in a California winery.

Easy care Flower Carpet Pink rose thriving in drought garden

A recent study conducted by the Horticulture and Crop Science Department of California Polytechnic State University showed that even a 2 inch (5 cm) layer of mulch reduced surface evaporation by 60% as compared to the water lost from bare soil. Doubling the mulch depth increased soil moisture by an additional 10%.

As an added bonus, not only will the mulch hold in the water, it also helps with weed control. Before watering, pull back the mulch a bit and dig down an inch or so to determine if you need to water in that area. When applying mulch in the garden, leave a small area around the base of the plant free of mulch so that you can easily water without wasting water on the mulch itself.

3) PLANT LIKE PLANTS TOGETHER

Whether you’re watering by hand or with a drip irrigation system, planting the most water-dependent plants together in the garden you can reduce the total area that you need to water. Don’t allow your plants to be too crowded together though, as they’ll compete with one another for any available moisture.

4) WATER WISELY

Avoid sprinklers at all cost! They simply throw the water through the air and much of it evaporates before it can get to the plants. Remember to water in the early morning or late evening so that the water doesn’t quickly evaporate before it gets to the plants’ roots.

If you water deeply, you don’t have to do it as often and it encourages deeper root growth. As a result, those plants will have greater drought tolerance. Drip irrigation systems are great but if you don’t have the time or inclination to install one, remember to water at the base of the plant, avoiding the leaves. This also helps to reduce moisture-related plant diseases.

In Summary. . . if you strive to create winning combinations of heavy mulch, drip irrigation and drought-tolerant plants like Flower Carpet roses, you can beat the drought and continue to garden right through challenging drought conditions.

Planting of a variety of low maintenance Flower Carpet roses in mulched bed

Want to see more inspirational ideas click here!