Did you read the newspaper this morning? California might be going
into a long drought. My first thought was for my garden. I spent most of the
day shoveling, creating wells around plants and trees. Then the mulching began.
Luckily I run a worm farm—a big barrel of worms, raw fruit and vegetable peels
and garden and lawn clippings. The worms multiply while the
Save your lawn clippings or buy sacks
of mulch for the ground around your plants. Always weed an area before you
mulch.
When applying the mulch to your garden
bed, do not pile it too close to the stems or crowns of the plants. Wet mulch can
cause them to rot.
When using
organic mulching materials (like grass clippings), don't be stingy. A layer
that's too thin will allow sunlight in and won't suppress weeds, and it will
allow moisture to evaporate, increasing the amount of watering (a.k.a. work)
you'll need to do. Areas in full sun may need four inches of mulch to keep weeds
at bay. For shadier, less troublesome spots, two to three inches should suffice.
What are drought resistant plants? Here are a few: Lavender,
Echinacea, Coreopsis, Buddleia, Sage, Salvia, Lilac, Golden Current, African Daisys, Western
Redbud, Penstemons, Buckwheat and all types of Manzanitas.
In reality, the most drought tolerant plants are usually the
native plants of your area. If you live in California pick the plants from your
south-facing slopes or a slightly drier climate a little further inland in
California. It's really easy to plant a garden with native plants that are very
drought tolerant (they lived there long before you showed up with a garden
hose) and look very good, especially with a few
sprinkles with the hose.
Now that we are all drought-proofed, please let me know your ideas
on gopher-proofing, deer-proofing, snail-proofing, and Big-Foot-proofing. And maybe a good tooth-whitener.
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