ShareThisAlthough we may not be able to start or stop the rain on demand, warm the air or cool it down, we can create a garden to weather most any storm. I crafted such a garden several years ago during a season when we experienced one of the most volatile weather-related years on record. In spite of a late-spring cold spell and three rain-laden tropical storms followed by extreme heat and severe drought, my garden thrived.
While most people had thrown in the "trowel" by the end of June, my garden was a testament to why taking the time to employ a few sound gardening principles is always worth the effort.
Here are some of the things I did and always do to ensure that my garden has the best chance of not only surviving but also thriving through such challenging conditions.
-- The right location is essential. Don't expect plants to have the staying power to outlast inhospitable conditions if they are sited improperly. The only person you're fooling is yourself if you think plants that thrive in full sun will do as well in less.
-- Great soil is everything! Soil that drains well can handle long bouts of heavy rain. Similarly, well-amended soil will not only release excess water, it will retain what it needs. That's the best of both worlds. In addition, soil that is rich in organic material has the structure that allows roots to easily expand and the nutrients that sustain and give life to plants.
-- Mulch adds the essential icing on the cake. Even with a great location and nutrient-rich, well-amended soil, a generous layer of mulch is the third important element in creating a garden that can stand up to the challenge. There's the aesthetic benefit of giving beds a finished look, but mulch is so much more than that. A mulch layer of about 3 inches in most cases is sufficient to suppress weed germination, prolong moisture retention in the soil and moderate soil temperatures. It also provides a protective barrier from numerous soil diseases splashing onto foliage and infecting your plants.
-- Natural pest controls promote a healthier and bio-diverse garden. Bad weather isn't the only challenge to overcome. Pests can quickly create a storm of another kind. When we encounter such problems in our own garden, it can be easy to reach for the most potent non-selective pesticide available. But by doing so, pest-eating beneficial insects are also killed. With no natural predators, this opens the door for more chemical-resistant pest-insect populations to explode.
Stay proactively in touch with your garden.
In my incredibly resilient Atlanta garden, I had the opportunity and pleasure of spending time in it nearly every day. Not only was it the garden set we used to tape the show I hosted for DIY Network's "Fresh from the Garden," it was also my personal playground. But by being so actively involved, I was in touch with even subtle changes from day to day. If a plant started to look a little diseased or affected by pests, I was able to respond quickly and safely. By catching developing problems, you minimize the amount of effort needed to control and eliminate the problem while using the most benign solutions possible.
Mother Nature has plenty of cards in her deck. When she deals you one that presents a challenge, take the steps I've mentioned to create your own garden to weather the storm.
(Joe Lamp'l, host of "GardenSMART" on PBS, is a Master Gardener and author. For more information visit www.joegardener.com. For more stories, visit scrippsnews.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)
THE GARDENER WITHIN
