Planning and Planting in the Midst of the Heat.
The Summer of 2022 has set records, none of them good. The atrocious heat we’re experiencing coupled with water restrictions is changing our approach to landscape design. Flouncy Southern gardens with their beautiful mophead hydrangeas, encore azaleas, and camellias are likely a thing of the past. In their place, we’re embracing the high-style gardens of __ and __.
Fort Worth is sure to have more hotter-than-normal summers so I’m taking the long view. How can we adapt without sacrificing beauty? Shifting toward xeriscaping doesn’t have to mean going with a cold, minimalist look. I still want bloomers and a mix of textures and colors. Bet you do too.
Luckily, there’s a huge selection of drought-tolerant trees, flowering shrubs, and perennials. No matter the type of plant, the trick to any well-designed landscape is layering. Three layers minimum, with the tallest plants in the back, and the shortest in the front. Next, key off a standout color and keep the palette simple. Finally use masses of plants. Masses of a single plant create a visually striking block of color.
Right now, I’m loving the rich blue-purple color of Russian sage, which reminds me of rangy sagebrush. Its tall blue spires stand proud on silvery-gray stems that rise out of elongated, gray-green leaves. Combine the blue sage with white daylilies and Natchez white crape myrtles for a simple, visually cool palette. Those colors and textures are perfect against an evergreen backdrop of something like Parkinsonia, a small, sculptural evergreen tree. My creative juices are already flowing!
Russian Sage
New installations aren’t the pressing issue though. Right now, we’re busy salvaging what we can. We use carbon-release products to nurture root systems and top dress beds with about three inches of good compost to replace organic matter and provide no-burn nutrients. We’re also adding two to three inches of mulch to help roots stay cool. Still, the heat is desiccating some plants. In those situations, we’re pulling out dead and dying plants and putting down decomposed granite. We will wait to replant in the fall.
But most importantly, we’re retrofitting irrigation systems. Drip irrigation systems use 30 to 50 percent less water and get water where it’s needed – the roots. Plus, like hand watering, these systems are exempt from water restrictions. The return on investment is a no-brainer. To save on initial installation costs, we can start with critical beds, then when the weather cools, we will complete the transition.
Losing plants, we love is painful but increasing heat and water restrictions are supercharging the need for change. This autumn we will regroup, rethink, and replant our gardens to survive a warming climate.