How to help Oregon gardens and landscapes through summer heat

CORVALLIS – As the hotter climate returns, it’s a good suggestion to guage your backyard for the upcoming summer season. Take a lesson from the 2021 historic warmth dome and be ready to assist vegetation by way of scorching and dry climate because the season progresses.

Listed here are some ideas from Oregon State College Extension Service consultants for getting ready for warmth and drought. For extra, learn Warmth wave within the backyard: the best way to establish and stop warmth stress in vegetation by Nicole Sanchez, OSU Extension horticulturist.

Water your panorama strategically. Water early within the morning when temperatures are decrease. Slightly than slightly moisture on daily basis, water vegetation occasionally and deeply previous to and through drought. Saturate the world to a depth of 8 to 10 inches. For lawns, add one-half to three-fourths-of-an-inch of water per week, or let lawns go brown through the warmth of the summer season. Don’t neglect to water massive timber. A soaker hose wrapped across the tree’s root zone works nicely.

Mulch to preserve water. Mulches are like placing a lid on a pot that’s boiling and stopping it from evaporating fairly as rapidly. They’re not an alternative choice to irrigation, however they do assist retain water within the soil. Place a 3- to 5-inch-thick layer of mulch on the soil. Massive bark chips or arborist trimmings work finest. As these mulch supplies decompose, natural matter is added to the soil. For extra details about mulching and gardening, see Mulching Woody Ornamentals with Natural Supplies.

Put the proper plant in the proper place. Design your panorama in order that your vegetation gained’t compete with one another for shade and water. In different phrases, group vegetation with related necessities for mild and water collectively.

Put together the soil adequately. Good high quality soil helps retain moisture in occasions of drought. Once you dig in, ensure you can break up the soil simply, an indication that water can penetrate into the soil with no bother. When air and water can’t transfer by way of the soil simply, vegetation can expertise issues with ailments and root progress. To construct good high quality soil, add natural matter comparable to composted yard trimmings, composted manure and leaves from deciduous timber.

Select vegetation that don’t get thirsty in the summertime. Some vegetation are so drought-tolerant that they solely want winter rains to thrive and no irrigation in any respect throughout summer season. Chilly-tolerant varieties native to the Mediterranean area or native vegetation of the Pacific Northwest are good decisions. For floor covers, these embrace Level Reyes ceanothus, also called Ceanothus gloriosus, and carpet broom, also called Genista pilosa. As for shrubs, we advocate the varieties beneath, that are adopted by their scientific names:

• Dwarf strawberry bush (Arbutus unedo ‘Compacta’)
• Wild lilac (Ceanothus ‘Victoria’)
• Rockrose (Cistus x hybridus)
• Sunrose (Helianthemum nummularium)
• Flowering currant Ribes sanguineum)
• Lavender, (Lavandula spp.)

An Extension data sheet by Neil Bell, retired OSU Extension horticulturist, consists of many assets and a plant record. For extra plant concepts, see the article Ten all-around nice shrubs for water-wise gardens.

— Kym Pokorny, kym.pokorny@oregonstate.edu