Don't Twiddle Your Green Thumbs

By Elisa K. Simcik

Points North, February 2008

How to Create a Beautiful, Yet Drought-Resistant, Landscape for Your Yard

Georgians are in a planting panic. When homeowners see images of Lake Lanier on the news then look at their front yards, they cringe. They know the state is in a water shortage crisis and feel helpless, as they watch their yards turn into a barren landscape. Coupled with the tight watering restrictions, residents are left twiddling their green thumbs trying to figure out what to do next.

February is typically planting season in Georgia, but does the drought mean you have to throw out your gardening tools, abandon your yard and continue to pray for rain: Not necessarily. Area landscapers offer a variety of tips and ideas to help your yard flourish in times of trouble.

Tough Times Call for Tough Plants

Cla Allgood, a landscape architect and owner of Allgood Outdoors in Cumming, has seen plenty of plants survive dry times in his 27 years in the business. "If you look at the South before there were reservoirs, before there were irrigation systems, we still had great gardens. Those people didn't have a valve to turn on to make their water survive," he said. That's why he recommends that homeowners go with the "old-timey" plants; which have proven that they're tough even in dry periods. Things like forsythia, spirea, yaupon holly, Chinese hollies (such as burford and Nellie R. Stevens) and even some roses can stand up to the drought, according to Allgood.

And while Allgood thinks native plants are great, they may need more water to get established than some of these non-native plants. For instance, he thinks imported bamboo can be a great addition to your drought-landscaping plan as well as junipers, crepe myrtles and violet chase trees.

If you do decide to plant, there's no need to feel guilty for not watering your new growth every day. "If you look up and down the highway, the [plants put in] by the Department of Transportation get no irrigation at all. These plants survive," Allgood said. In fact, plants tend to die more often because of over watering than under watering, according to Rick Kaldrovics, president and owner of Outside Landscape Group in Alpharetta. "What this drought has proven is that once we had to shut down outdoor water use, homeowners are realizing that these plants are much tougher than they thought and they are able to make it through long periods of time with less water. Not over watering them all the time is good for them; it allows them to set their roots deep into the ground," Kaldrovics explained.

February is also a great time to start working on your yard and garden, because the cooler temperatures mean you can plant without needing water. "This time of year is the very best time to plant in the Southeast," Kaldrovics said. "Plants in the Southeast don't go 100 percent dormant. Their roots are still actively growing in the winter but their top growth is not. The benefit of taking advantage of this season is when you're planting, you're not having to water. And how perfect is that? You're relying on Mother Nature, cool temperatures and occasional rain during the winter. So the best thing a homeowner can do whether we're having a drought or not is to plant during a dormant period of time for plants," he added.

Mary Kay Woodworth, the executive director of the Metro Atlanta Landscape and Turf Association (MALTA) also encourages homeowners to plant this winter. Specifically, he recommends shrubs, ground cover, trees and perennials. "Bulbs are a great thing to plant for beautiful spring and summer color. You can plant them from November through February and they require no supplemental water. You put them in the ground, put a little water on them right now, cover `em up and forget about them," she said.

One thing landscapers don't recommend is to turn Atlanta into the desert Southwest. "We have very dry periods and we have wet periods so importing cactus and other western plants here might work for a year or two but when we get back to our normal and natural rain fall, they won't work here," Woodworth said.

Creative Watering

Still, there's no denying that plants like it better when we have regular rain. So what if these dry conditions continue into the spring and summer months? How can even strong winter-planted roots survive against 90-degree heat, no rain and strict water restrictions? Besides putting in drought-resistant plants, homeowners can also prepare their yards to handle the lack of rain.

George Allin, president of Allin Landscaping likes water crystals, which work a lot like Jell-O. "They're a fine material that you incorporate into the planting roots of the tree or shrub or plant and it absorbs moisture. Then once it stops raining it releases the moisture back in the root zone," he said. Allin also likes shredded mulch because he believes it retains moisture better than any other type of mulch.

And don't forget the dirt mound around the plant. "Basically, you plant your plant and then you build a little dam around the plant. As it rains you're able to catch a little more water. It's a simple rain catcher mechanism. You're catching 2 to 3 inches rather than it just running off," Allgood said.

When you do have the chance to water, Allin offered an easy watering tip: "It's better to water plants and grass less frequently and for longer periods of time than more frequently, for less periods of time. If you water frequently then the roots will stay on top of the surface; they won't go deep."

Beyond that, landscaping companies are utilizing all kinds of watering strategies. Allin's company actually pumps in water from a private lake outside the area. The folks at Kaldrovics' Outside Landscape Group are installing rain barrels. "You basically are hooking your downspouts from your house into these barrels that provide you with some water you can supplement with a garden hose and a small pump off that rain barrel, a 55- or 100-gallon barrel," Kaldrovics said. "So if you're taking a medium planting on you're able to water that with water you've captured yourself."

And speaking of water you capture yourself, even when governments issue drought level four, homeowners are permitted to capture indoor water for outdoor use, according to the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Placing buckets in showers or bathtubs to capture water, or even removing the water from the washing machine, can provide extra water to be used for irrigation. Just don't use it for watering plants that produce food for immediate consumption, and be sure the runoff doesn't go off your property.

For people who want to take on a larger scale landscaping project during the drought, a cistern might be another option. "You're capturing rainwater but instead of capturing it in a barrel that may be 100 or 55 gallons, you may be capturing anywhere from 350 to 1,500 gallons of rainwater," Kaldrovics said. However, Kaldrovics doesn't believe most homeowners even need to take it as far as installing cisterns. "They don't have to install these cisterns to be able to plant," he said.

"My suggestion is, take on your planting, understand your risk: if I take on a medium planting, I have less risk; if I want to take a large planting on, plan for it," Kaldrovics said. And despite the bleak images of Lake Lanier splashed across our newspapers and televisions, Kaldrovics is staying positive about Georgia's recovery. "After a couple of seasons, after we get into our normal rain cycle, plants get established naturally. We're not seeing plants just give up. Even as dry as it's been, they're doing fine."