Rewilding My Lot

Anything that I have planted here was put in the ground between February and May 2023. Builder-supplied landscaping, Bermudagrass sod, and two Live Oak trees were probably installed in December 2022 or January 2023.

Therefore, every plant here was seeded or transplanted less than a year ago, and we are in the midst of a major drought, both of which are potentially stressful situations.

First, what am I NOT doing?

• I don’t use sprinklers. When I do use water on the garden, I use a watering can, bucket, or hosepipe in my hands to direct the water only where I want it to go.
• I don’t water lawns. If my Bermudagrass in the front turns brown and crispy (which it has), then I ignore it. It will eventually restore itself, or if it doesn’t, then the gaps will be filled with more resilient plants, e.g., native grasses.
• Unless a plant that I want to keep is particularly struggling, I don’t water daily. If water is usually only near the surface, then roots don’t need to grow deep. If, instead, you water deeply less frequently, then roots are more inclined to grow deeper in search of water, and thus to make the plant more drought-resistant in the future.

How AM I watering in this drought?

• Until a couple of weeks ago, I was able to fill buckets and watering cans from my rain barrels, but the barrels are empty now so I have to use the faucet.
• Once a week, my trees get 3-5 gallons of water each from a bucket (except Desert Willow and Huisache, which are surviving just fine on their own). The rest of the garden gets a hand-directed hosepipe watering, focused on specific plants. My goal is to provide a deep watering, but only for plants that I want to nurture.
• There are a few plants here that are struggling more in this heat, and those get extra daily visits in the morning with a watering can. Examples include American Beautyberry, Turk’s Cap, and anything that is in a pot.
• I’m not being obsessive about this, but if some activity in the house results in water in a portable container that would otherwise be discarded, I’ll usually walk it outside and put it on a plant. One of the easiest of these is the water tank from our small ventless tumble dryer, which was a side benefit I hadn’t considered when I bought that particular appliance.