ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – Gardeners are facing one of the driest spells in Roanoke as a severe drought continues and temperatures are expected to hit 90 degrees this week.
Since October 1, Roanoke is in its fourth driest spell
“It’s been particularly dry this spring,” said Riverside Nursery owner Bruce Feldberg. “Normally I call spring the season of mud.”
Feldberg recommends two drought-tolerant plants for gardeners: lantanas and portulacas.
“Once it gets established, you do not need to water it,” Feldberg said of lantanas. “So you prepare your soil. Get everything nice and moist before you plant. You plant. You might have to water it once or twice after planting.”
He said portulacas work well in difficult conditions.
“If you have a really difficult spot that’s very poor soil,” Feldberg said. “Maybe sandy. Just full sun. Bakes, bakes, bakes. You don’t like to water.”
For flowers already in the ground, water is paramount.
Gardener Francine Harrington said she has been using water barrels to keep her plants alive.
“I water my plants constantly,” Harrington said. “I haven’t turned on my, uh, outside hose yet. I’ve been using my water barrels and I’ve had five of them and just today I’ve drained them all.”
She has also been using mulch.
“I just been mulching, mulching, mulching, mulching,” Harrington said. “I’ve been constantly going over and grabbing, another 12 bags.”
Feldberg said proper watering technique is critical.
“When you water, water deeply,” Feldberg said. “Just don’t take the hose and sprinkle the top of the plant because that is just not going to do it. You can always take your finger and dig under the soil and see what the moisture is just an inch down. If you did that here outside today, you’d come up with dust.”
Townside Gardens salesperson Doug Jessie said there are other strong options for gardeners yet to plant.
“We’ve got some nice Amsonia right now, a lot of Baptisia,” Jessie said. “There’s some really nice Penstemon. All of those are deer resistant, tough, and can take dry conditions.”
Harrington said the next few days will determine if her efforts have worked.
“Right now they’re beautiful,” Harrington said. “We’ll see how they hold up the end of this week.”
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