Texan Magazine
By Marc Hess, Editor Gardening South Texas
There will be no sugar-coating the bad news here. However, stay with me and I’ll bring this around with a positive perspective with some very specific suggestions for keeping your landscape and garden beds attractive as this drought tightens its grip on us.
Texas’ record heat waves and drought are making it especially difficult for us to keep our plants alive and our landscapes green. All the indicators tell us that our summers will continue to get longer and hotter. Of all the places in America, Texas is the state most at risk of continuing the drought. Despite occasional hard rains in some areas, less water is available. Warmer temperatures increase evaporation making soils significantly drier over time. The Texas Water Development Board figures that average rainfall is likely to continue to decrease until the end of this decade.
This is important because the livelihood of Texas is built on three, very thirsty sectors: fossil fuel production, real estate development, and agriculture. Proudly, we have more farms and ranches than any other state in the union. Cotton, corn, rice, and wheat are among our primary crops, but Texas is also big on peanuts, sunflowers, and sugarcane. And they all take a lot of water to produce. Currently over half (57%, to be precise) of the state’s water resources are used for agriculture. Each of the three sectors mentioned is badly impacted every time a drought occurs.
At this time almost one-third of Texas’ water comes from underground aquifers. The largest single use of underground water is for irrigation. However, with urban populations growing exponentially, our cities will soon become the state’s biggest water user leaving rural communities to depend on underground aquifers as their only source of water.
Drought is not new to us. Since 1822, Texas has seen at least one period of severe drought in each decade. In Texas’ famous “Drought of Record” that ran from 1949 to 1957 the state received up to 50% less rain than in normal times. That is a lot worse than we have it now.
At the same time temperatures rose above average, leading to unprecedented drought and water shortages. This extreme dry period was a turning point for Texas, and led to the formation of the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), a governmental body responsible for “statewide water planning, collection and maintenance of water resource information, and administration of financial assistance programs for water supply, water quality, flood control, and agricultural water conservation projects.” It is the TWDB that will help us get through the current drought.
And let’s not forget the heatwaves. You have certainly noticed it getting hotter. In the past century Texas’ average temperature rose almost 1.5°F. When you put it that way it doesn’t sound so bad but what that means is that we can expect more summer days in the triple-digits. In fifteen years, you will be able to “enjoy” twice as many triple-digit days as you have now.
BAD NEWS RIGHT?
It’s not going to get any better, or cooler, or wetter any time soon. So, we must adjust to the realities of this new normal.
-Even in these tough conditions we can still have lovely landscapes. We can still have colorful flower beds. We can still have majestic shade trees. We just have to select the right varieties and give them our attention as they get established.
Your outdoor water use accounts for 30% of the water you use and much of that water is just wasted on inefficient watering.
HOW TO REDUCE YOUR WATER BILL
➢ Reduce the water that doesn’t reach you plants (like water that falls on your sidewalk and driveway) and sprinkler water that evaporates before it reaches your lawn, which is what happens when you water in the middle of the day.
➢ Design a water-efficient landscape by planting drought-tolerant grass and choosing plants that are native or well adapted to the climate conditions in your area.
You will find many choices of plants, shrubs and grasses to create your water-efficient landscape. You can do this by putting in drought-tolerant ground cover instead of grass in areas that are narrow, small, sloping, oddly shaped, or close to pavement. Limit turf areas to those needed for practical uses. Bermuda, buffalo, and zoysia are drought-tolerant grasses. Plant water-efficient, well-adapted, and/or native shrubs and trees. When you are selecting plants for your garden beds choose plants that are drought tolerant, and have low water requirements. This does not mean that you have to give up on your colorful garden. Texas has many beautiful bloomers that love the heat.
Among the specific varieties of beautiful blooming plants that you will hear Agricultural Extension Agents across the state recommend are:
GOLD STAR ESPERANZA
A very prolific bloomer, very drought tolerant and likes to bloom in the heat of summer.
SHOWER OF GOLD or GALPHIMIA
An excellent plant for our summer heat.
RED YUCCA AND ROCK ROSE
These two are a couple of Texas gardeners’ favorite native plants.
TIP:
Look for the Texas Superstar™ label when you are shopping for plants. The Texas Superstar™ Program is a cooperative plant corralling program with Texas A&M University, Texas Tech, and industry representatives that tests and then promotes plants and flowers that do well in our climate and are readily available in nurseries across the state.
Even as our Texas summers get hotter and dryer you can still have attractive landscapes and colorful garden beds.
Here are other examples of warm season annual flowers that will do well and spice up your summer garden without drinking up a lot of water.
MARIGOLD
This showy annual thrives in hot weather and bright sun. Deadhead fading flowers and gangly stems to keep them blooming all summer long.
PENTAS
Easy to grow and doesn’t take a lot of water to keep them happy and showy. Butterflies and hummingbirds love feasting on the Pentas clusters of tiny flowers. Pentas also thrive in container gardens, as they love well-drained soil.
PERIWINKLE
A popular shade-loving flower, also known as vinca. You can find this in a rainbow of colors. It’s also highly drought-tolerant and pest-resistant.
PORTULACA
This thrives in full sun and is exceptionally easy to grow, even for beginners. It is sometimes called sun rose or moss rose.
PURSLANE
A low-growing annual that scoffs at dry, hot South Texas summers. Originally from India and Persia, purslane also looks striking in a hanging basket.
Pay attention to the tough realities of the new normal and make some adjustments to your regular gardening habits. It won’t change the weather but it will make it less frustrating on you as a proud Texas gardner.
TIP:
For more specific details on managing the water use in your landscape go to the Texas Water Development Board’s website https://www.twdb.texas.gov/publications/brochures/conservation/index.asp and download their well-illustrated and easy to read brochures: (1) Conserving Water Outdoors and (2) A Watering Guide for the Texas Landscape.
