County Extension Coordinator

I hope everyone had an excellent 4th of July! During our farming years, it was always this time of year that we would start cutting our corn for silage. Depending on the weather, we always anticipated cutting 15 tons to the acre. If this yield was achieved, that was always enough to last through the winter and spring. After about four weeks of silage cutting, I would not want to eat an ear of corn for months.

Jenkins County has been very fortunate to receive a substantial amount of rain the last couple of weeks, and we hope this trend will continue. Even though we are in good shape moisture wise, you never know when it will turn dry again. If you rely on irrigation to water your landscape, not only can this be costly, but certain cities can restrict water use. There are certain things a homeowner can do to allow a landscape to survive a drought.

First, consider what areas require the most water and think of ways you can reduce the water use. When establishing a landscape, or where you have extremely sandy soil, plant some large beds of drought-tolerant ground covers such as

spreading junipers like Blue Rug, Sargents or Blue Pacific. Junipers are extremely drought resistant and can endure long periods of dry weather. Other good drought hardy ground covers include liriope, Asiatic jasmine, Carolina jasmine, trumpet creeper, day lilies and creeping raspberry.

Ground covering plants are not the only group of plants that are drought tolerant. There are also a number of shrubs such as dwarf yaupon holly, Indian hawthorn, dwarf crepe myrtle, glossy abelia and lantana. These shrubs are tough as nails and do not require intense management. I always recommend putting mulch around the base of the plant. Adding mulches such as pine straw, wood chips or pine bark will help conserve moisture and keep weed pressure to a minimum. This is especially important at establishment.

Planting drought tolerant plants is an excellent fit for many people. These plants are a perfect match for the "low maintenance" landscaper!

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