I am in the same situation as you. I have given up on most of my potted plants and hanging baskets and just trying to keep the perenials alive. I plan on making some new beds this fall and I am considering puting in a drip irrigation system.

I work and can not water in the mornings so I have to water in the late afternoon. The plants don't like it and I don't like the two hours it takes.

I too have started researching plants that do well on little water. I have added more lantana, coneflower, verbena and grasses this year and plan to add more next year.

I know I will not plant anymore petunias. They have really suffered.

I really enjoy gardening but not in this heat and drought. Maybe next year will be better.

Caroline

So sorry to hear that you are still not getting any rain. We got a good rain Wednesday afternoon that lasted into the night. (you gotta do the rain dance)haha. I do agree that we all need to plant drought resistant plants since it looks like each summer is dryer and hotter for us. Hopefully, if you water your plants before you leave, they will be ok til you get back. Best of luck to you and your garden
Barb

How about doing something to provide some shade for them after you water and while you're gone? I cut palmetto fronds and angle them over a plant but you should be able to find something that would work as well don't you think? I've used that really ugly umbrella my husband got when he's donated blood too.

We're going to drought-resistant ornamental grasses in our yard, I like them but still it's disappointing to give up some of the things I've loved.

Suzanne

Caroline, so sorry to year your sad tale. You really have had a time of it. We've had the same problem here, no rain to amount to anything and lots of heat. My front yard looked so pretty this spring but now its almost all dead. Never hurts to put in some drought tolerant plants and Susanne's tip about shading the plants is a good one. Just wait, next year we will probably get 10" of rain a month. Oh and I can hear our California friends telling us to stop whinning, "no rain in a month, big deal."

Faye my petunias are doing pretty good. I bought wave's this year and put them around the mail box and by the front porch steps. They are in direct sun and have gotten almost no water and they don't look bad. If you haven't tried the multitude of wave petunia's out there give them a shot. In the planters, however, not the same story. I have to water them every day.
Vikki

It seems the weather patterns are changing no matter where you live. This summer I've had damage to clematis that I've never had before. Some of them look like crispy critters :o( Thank goodness they are starting to put out new growth, for awhile I thought I'd lost a couple of them.
Up here on Vancouver Island our summers are usually quite bearable with only a couple of days in the high 80's, not in the 90's like we've had this summer. The roses didn't get a chance to drop their petals they just dried up right on the canes. My Michaelmas daisy bed is doing fine though, this one is heavily mulched with newspaper and maple shavings. This is keeping the moisture in the ground, not evaporating into the air. Caroline, I know how you feel, after all your hard work, it's like a kick in the teeth.
Are your plants mulched? with mine I find the ones that have a thick layer of newspaper between the ground and the mulch are hanging in a lot better then mulch alone.

Annette

It is disheartening, especially after we've believed we could keep certain plants 'going' until the rains returned, and they ...almost... made it.

Nell

Oh, how I know so well what your feeling! We are in a drought here also. Our rains were so sparse and light in the fall and winter. We've had one summer sprinkle.

Tried every store bought sprinkler imaginable. Tried soaker hoses, I tried everything. Watered in the morning and night. Nothing more disheartening than seeing all your hard work and beautiful plants dwindle away. My drought tolerant plants even died.

Over the past 4 years I've asked for quotes from several landscapers. Prices were anywhere from 5000 to 9000. One guy even threw in an extra 150 for a porta-potty.

After showing DH pictures of Steven's garden and many tears he and I installed our own irrigation system. Best present I've ever had in my whole life. I thank him everyday. Granted it's a lot of work to install your own system but it's significantly cheaper.

Best wishes and a great big hug!

Edna

I'm sorry to hear all this drought news. We're about to hit a week of upper 90s with no rain. We've stopped kayaking due to the low water levels. Some of the lakes are down 8 feet.

In our little pocket of microclimate, we've done pretty well with sufficient rain, but it's about to change next week. I've lost a few small plants to drought. I have drought tolerant plants at the top of my slopes and thirsty plants at the bottom -- which are on drip irrigation (well water here).

Drought tolerant plants that I use -- nepeta, lantana, lavender, salvia, coreopsis, tall verbena, bronze fennel, many grasses, buddleia, agastache, Jerusalem sage, pineapple sage, rosemary, spirea, rudbeckia 'Goldstrum'.

Wishing the best for everyone.
Cameron

We just emerged from 2 years of D4 status, the most extreme drought status condition.

In fact, last year my garden was in such sad shape that I didn't have enough flowers to gather seeds from in order to participate in the seed swap. A neighbor and I ended up pooling seeds so that I could participate. I then split what I received from the swap with her so that we could have some semblance of a garden this year.

OK..this year, it's rain, rain and more rain. The boat ramps that were closed last year due to drought, are now closed this year because of flooding! Go Figure!!!

My overall plan is to plant as many care-free, drought and heat tolerant flowers as possible despite what is happening this year. I'm going native, too. IMO, it just makes more sense.

I understand what you are going through, Caroline. Not only was my garden suffering, but also the wildlife. I remember last year watering with a hose, and having birds suddenly materialize to take advantage of the cooling spray of water. That despite the fact that I have 2 bird baths that I kept filled with water.

Wish I could send some rain your way! :-)

Marilyn

Oh Caroline, that is disheartening. I want to come to your house dressed in a tribal something or other and do a rain dance as hard as my feet can stomp. Knowing your love of gardening, it must be downright painful.

Yes, I'm definitely planting drought tolerant things in my garden in anticipation of another dry period in California. Come this fall, our slope will be planted with a mix of natives and other largely self-sufficient Mediterranean plantings.

Okay, I'm going to go up on the roof and try to blow the jet stream your way!

Steven

I'm so sorry that all of you are having drought. We too have been suffering without the rain. For us it hasn't been nearly as bad as last year however the ground still has inch wide cracks throughout. We finally got some rain this afternoon and tonight and tornadic weather along with it. It's dark out and our lights are back on so I'm assuming the damage was minimal, at least here on our place. Will have to wait until morning to know for sure. This is the first rain we've had since June 21st. Grasshoppers have gone, rain enough to soak things, maybe things will look up for us here now. Hope it heads SE to all of you who need it so badly.

MeMo

Just getting in from work. The moon is so beautiful and the air is in the 70's tonight. DH and I sat on our wide front porch and had a Pilsner Urquel and read all the wonderful responses to my post.

Thank you all for the sustenance that you bring to each message . It is so heartwarming to belong to such a community. My gardens may have suffered but they will be back and I will be too. Stronger for the drought that has weakened some but has amazingly left some plants untouched. The Provence Lavender has suddenly shot up blooms, Portulaca is thriving, clematis is growing apace,penstemon is green and full as is the spurge .

Thank you for such kind words and for posting such inspiring photos of your lovely gardens. I look forward, Caroline

We are always hit with drought during July and August here in southwest Missouri....I think native plants are the answer.
I know for years I would stay away from plants that would say "consistently moist, hates humidity, etc. Mulch is another really good method of holding moisture in, but when the dog days of summer hit, nothing really can combat that 100° with high humidity and I just suffer through...

I am already pulling up and cutting back plants that have had it with this weather.

I try to remember we had a glorious wet spring and early summer....breaking a 3-year drought here!

Good morning...I wanted to read again all the responses in the light of a new day .

fnboyd: yes I assumed Montg. was the same as we are in drought. We are D3 I think. I too am thinking of drip irrigation. We have an irrigation system for the grass but have never used it. Good luck to you with your plans. Maybe we can get together sometime since we are not many miles apart.

Barb: thanks for the good wishes. I plan to give them a good soak and " a talkin' to". Very glad you got rain!

Suzanne: that is a great idea. I do have a large umbrella on a stand in the patio that we can move : thank you !

Vikki: thank you too. I didn't know the waves were so resistant. I will definitely keep them in mind for next year. I am sorry your front area is suffering, you are right about what may come next year, get out the boats !

Annette: I do have mewspaper/mulch in some areas and you are right they are doing better...I am going to have a better source of papers soon so I will redo these areas next spring..thanks for the tip. I just love your area of the world.

Nell I wondered if you were getting any rain. I sure hope so. We need to do I simul cast rain dance with sattelite and all Cottage Forum members I'm thinkin'...Steven can lead us !

Edna I am glad you were able to do that...we have it for the yard but don't use it. I am thinking about the soaker route.

Cameron: goot to hear from you. I have some of those: the coreopsis, Nepeta ,rosemary, lavender and salvia. I will not the others. My one grass needs lots of water to look good but it is in a pot. Your gardens are so beautiful. I always love to look.

Marilyn: I am glad the D4 is over for you. I am going to have to find out what "native " plants are for Alabama where we are. I don't know. That is the plan though for next year.

Steven: thanks for the kind words. I have nominated you as the leader of the rain dance ! I can hardly wait to see the slope....and the finished kitchen.

MeMo: I sure hope the damage was minimal...cracks in the earth sound terrible. I am thinking of you all up there.

gldno: we do generally have the humidity but this summer the dew point has been LOW. It is hot and dry not muggy which I guess is good. I hope you all get lots of relief soon. Caroline

Oh my gosh, that is terrible. I am having a bit of a different problem here. Its rain, rain and more rain, then storm after storm. Its been difficult to get out to the garden to get anything done. There has been lots of hail and hard hitting rain causing lots of damage. This last week its been very fall like here, we have had to wear jackets outside. The morning temps have been +4 and +5 C. I think the weather is definately changing everywhere.

Keep your chin up, my friend...if the garden isn't great this year....there is always next year. Its the hope and promise of the garden to come, that keep us going sometimes.

Sierra

I believe any presidential candidate might have a real plank for the platform if he/she can promise to redistribute the rainfall across the county -- take from those who get too much and give to those who have a deficit. ; )

Sounds like an impossibility? They're already making noises about the future when those of us who sit over the Floridan Aquifer and have irrigation wells might be pumping water to Atlanta. The wells are already numbered as to priority by virtue of grandfathering. The pumps have meters, installed by the gov't. GA/FL/AL officials have huge pow-wows about the future of the Chattahoochee River.

sierraI am so sorry you are having the opposite problem...excesses seem to be the order of the day. You are right there is always tomorrow.

Nell I knew the use of the Hooch was always a topic but I had no idea about the wells. That is very frightening. The Hootch is used by Atl. to dump untreated sewage. They pay millions as it is cheaper to pollute than treat. A sad state of affairs. I have read that the waters outwest are very contriversial and they are moving them from distant places to "feed the needs" of the big cities. Caroline

There are a number of directions a garden can take, Caroline. Rather than type a long, eye-glazing list of my fav choices, I'll wait for questions regarding things you're considering.

Nell

Hi Caroline,

Here are a couple of hints as to what to plant for an easy, drought resistant garden:

1) Look at what is planted in traffic medians, shopping mall parking lots and other high traffic areas. Chances are they are bombarded by heat, exhaust fumes, people throwing drinks out the window etc., and of course, minimal attention. If they are looking healthy, chances are they are a native, and if not, then they are just very tough plants!

2) Also observe what is planted at elementary schools. A lot of schools around here are creating butterfly gardens and outdoor classrooms where the kids are able to study botany and learn about native plants. If a garden is able to survive around a lot of kids...you know those plants are tough. lol

3) Check out what is planted around office buildings. These tend to be tough, easy to grow plants based on the fact that money is tight and businesses sometimes can not allocate a lot of funds for outside landscaping maintenance.

You may have already started to think in this direction, but coming to grips with what will, and will not, survive has been a learning experience for me.

Of course, after having said all that and spending a lot of time planting heat and drought resistant plants, I could have bought water lilies this year based on the flooding. ;-)

Hey, we are all in the same boat so this is the right place to commiserate. :-)

Marilyn

Caroline, been there, done that! I can't remember when it was the last time it rained here. But that was probably more than a month. And it will probably continue like that for a month more. At least. Sometimes two. But that's not drought - that's our usual dry Mediterranean climate. Most of our rains come in Fall and Winter and the rest of the year it's very scarce or even non-existing for months. There's no point arguing about that. I have accepted a long time ago that my garden will never look like a miniature if Libby's, or gottagarden's. My climate simply won't let it happen.

Instead I try to use what does well here. Can't grow delphiniums? I grow echiums instead. No alliums available in trade? Agapanthus will have to do. Foxgloves will never look tall and lush like they do in Scotland. But hibiscus grow to tree like size here. Do I try to break the rules once in a while? Sure, but only in small portions. I'll try a couple of new plants from seed each year and see how they fare. If they do well, they stay. That's how I got coreopsis grandiflora. If they don't, I give up and try something else. It's all trial and error and a good deal of the fun is in it.

Now go back to the garden centre and start all over again :-)

Eduarda

Well, don't get too carried away by drought tolerate plants. I'm in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. After two years of drought, we've had an entire year's worth of rain in three months (forty inches of rain in my backyard!)

I lost more plants to drowning than I ever did to drought. My entire veggie garden and anything that doesn't like wet feet....eleagnus shrubs -- five of them--big ones! Two butterfly bushes and a half dozen salvias. I forgot during the drought why I need to plant every thing here on a hill for extra drainage. Every thing planted on it's own hill survived.

Mulch, mulch, mulch!!!!! Put soaker hoses down. Pull your pots into the shade--porch or haul them into the bathtub while you are gone.

You can get through this. The rains will come again. You'll be drowning and I'll be dry once more.

Sending wet, cool thoughts your way.

Caroline, have you been on water restrictions? If not, just get into the habit of watering through times like this.

I discovered after TS Allison dumped 19 inches in 5 days, that I'd much rather deal with not enough than too much. We've gone through our share of droughts; it just means more frequent deep watering.

I know how you feel. Here in Australia we've just had seven years of drought and the hottest summer in history. Strict water restrictions meant we were allowed two hours of watering with a hand held hose only - no sprinklers at all - on two days a week -either at night or in the morning before sunup. It's kind of hard trying to water in the dark when you can't see your way! So there were times when I didn't even use up my 4 hours of watering time a week.

My message to you is - don't despair. Now it's winter, it has been pouring outside for days and we've had loads of rain the past couple of months, even snow a couple of weeks ago (this is a once every seven years event in these parts). Dams that have been empty for years are full, black swans are back, wild ducks are waddling in puddles in paddocks and all is green. I thought most of my garden was dead, but as spring seems to be coming early, I'm surprised and amazed at how many plants are beginning to bud/pop up again.

You will get rain again and you may be surprised at what survives/comes back.

I've found filling gaps with lavender works well - it thrives in the dry and I don't think you can ever have too much of it in all it's varieties.

Also, installing water tanks is the big thing here in Australia now - having mine meant I could keep a few of the plants that might otherwise have died watered, despite such harsh restrictions. They cost $ of course to buy and install, but when you add up the cost of lost plants over several years, the investment is worth it I think. I emptied mine over summer but it's full as a drum again now which gives me heart for the summer ahead.

We've had rather odd weather here in Iowa too. It won't rain for weeks at a time and then we have a monsoon, or so it seems.

Initially for my garden, I was somewhat happy about a little global warming. I'd love to be zone 6 or 7 instead of 5. However, I never thought of the situation with the rain.

It's been oddly warm at strange times of the year. Last year on Thanksgiving, I planted daffodil, crocus and tulip bulbs. It didn't get "cold" until January. Then, of course, it seems most of us suffered that crazy late freeze that killed all my roses and the plants I was pushing my zone on. (serves me right, but I'm trying it again this year...I LOVE crape myrtles.)

Nell - any info from you will be most appreciated. It will take me some time to see what I am going to try and what is available here locally. I will post you a query when I know. Thank you so much.

Marilyn: what a great list. Without realizing it that is what i have been doing..almost had several car accidents LOL!! I have been craning my neck looking to see what is doing well. Thank you lots.

Eduarda- yep that is the beauty of all this is the experimenting. I will enjoy that more when I get the backbone of this plan in place. I don't know about seeds and how to do them but that will come too.

happyin texas_ I am sorry that ya'll have drowned. This is a 100 year drought they say and you are right it will correct as soon as we get a couple TS from the Gulf.

Natal- no we don't have restrictions. You know the hoses help but there is something about it that just doesn't make the plants react like rain. I think it is the soaker aspect that I don't have but am planning on for next year.

traceyc- yes I know about your weather as my DIL's Aunt and Uncle are in Mittagong. I am glad you were able to have the tanks. Not desparing just frustrated. But I am going to get more crreative !

blue: my crape myrtle is gorgeous. I get so many folks who walk by in our neighborhood and comment on how wonderful everything looks. I just smile and thank them and realize that I am too critical I am glad to have the perspective of their views to keep me grounded.

Blue, a cousin from northern Indiana was down here in June. She fell in love with crepe myrtles. I didn't think they would grow up there, but according to this Purdue Ext. site they can survive and grow as perennial shrubs.

Here is a link that might be useful: crepe myrtles in Indiana

We are experiencing the same here. Last week they announced voluntary watering restrictions. If we don't get some relief soon they for sure will be mandatory. It is disheartening to see all the hard work fry.

Even worse for us is we have no shade at all in our backyard. One thing we've been concentrating on is adding trees. I'll post the info regarding that over on the small tree thread.

this summer is the first time I have ever watered the garden, but now the usual rains have come... do ya'll use water crystals when you plant? I swear by them - and tons o' mulch, of course!

I feel everyone's pain who is dealing with heat/drought. This is the worst I have seen here in East TN in my 35 years living here. My veggie garden soil is powdery! I put down more mulch on the flowers and that's helped. For the past 5 days I've watered almost 2 hours daily. So far we are not under a water restriction in my area of Knox county. We need rain desparetly. Hang in there everyone, Fall will be here soon and hopefully the rain to :)

Oh Caroline, I'm so sorry! We've had an awfully dry spring and summer here in WNY, too. Not that it'll make you feel any better!

I started leaning towards drought tolerant plants a few years ago and our old place. There is so much variety. I'm going back to my list to start all over here. I think it really is the wave of the future, unfortunately.

Tracy

I too, fell in love with crape myrtle years ago and bought several which didn't live out the year. 3 years ago, I watched a new Lowes store that was built right in the middle of the prevaling wind in PA. I live on a hill side that gets really bad winter winds and temps sometimes in the teens and near O. Yesterday I bought a new crape myrtle from a new nursery with an extremely, very chatty owner. He said that they have evolved over the years to be more and more cold hardy. This same thing has happened to alot of shrubs/trees over the years as they want to expand their sales...so my NEW motto is, if you love it, try it! Life is too short... who cares if I have to pass up a new outfit for a new plant! I haven't found this to be as true with periennals tho-- seems alot of the time they just want to sell them. I have seen some that shouldn't be sold north or Carolina, so I pass them by. I've evenseen them labeled as a periennal with absolutely NO zone information!
I love all these forums. YOu have taught me so much in the 2 weeks I've been "surfing".. I'm not a newbie to gardening,but now I know so much more!
Faye...in MD

"I am curious how many others are changing their planting habits to reflect the climate variations."

I'm about ready to bunk up with Sierra about now. GOOD LORD. No rain in over 3 weeks, and 100 or HIGHER every single damned day. I'm so frustrated. I'm ready to spread sand, throw in a few cactus and call it a garden. I fear I could have lost lots of plants that I can't afford to replace. :(

We are on severe watering restrictions. Georgia has permanent watering restrictions, but we can water once a week from 12pm-8am Saturday to Sunday. I can't water like that and be alert for church so I don't. The soaker hoses are so fried from heat they don't work anymore either!

GGG

Georgia has permanent watering restrictions, but we can water once a week from 12pm-8am Saturday to Sunday. I can't water like that and be alert for church so I don't.

As far as I'm concerned, you can't get much closer to God than out in your own yard. Take care of what you've been given and do the worshipping another time. He'll understand. ;)

I agree Natal. I never feel more like I am paying homage to our maker than when I am in the woods or the garden.

Hey guys, haven't been on here for awhile. Reason being I too have been disheartened and just didn't want to look at anything gardening. I too have been dealing with drought and sever heat. My garden looks terrible! About the only thing that it still holding it together are the Black-eyed susans and even they are looking pretty bad. My Asters which last year were so showy are just about dead. I am trying to keep all my plants alive the best can. Then ontop of that I am still battling huge monster grasshoppers. When I do catch one those suckers are so big that just one grasshoppper can feed all three of my hens!

So I feel for you all. I think I'm going to talk my DH into letting me plant more trees. Maybe more shade will help? However it will take some time till they mature and in the mean time I'm still battling to keep the young trees I planted this spring alive.
Meghan

Natal, no can do. Part of the reason I go to church is to take care of other humans, we are a mission church to the poor and mentally ill. I also assist the priest and deacon.
Anyway, I figure if God really wanted me to have water on the garden, he'd let it rain!

GGG

GGG, your choices, but I don't think it's fair to rely on God for everything. If it were me I'd be making some sort of provision for the lack of rain. So the soaker hoses are fried. Set up an old fashioned sprinkler and move it every 30 minutes. You can still catch a few hours sleep and be ready for church in the morning. God will smile at your ingenuity. ;)