Don’t forget the trees!

I was attending a discussion for work about drought (stimulating, I know). It got me thinking how stinking hot its been this summer, how often the AC kicks on, and how frequently I’ve had to water the flower pots, let alone the perennials in the yard. I typically do not water anything but the flower pots and garden, and I am certainly not one to water grass just so I have a green lawn (much to the likely dismay of my neighbors who all subscribe to lawn services). Yet, this summer, I’ve already set the sprinkler loose on the perennials more than once. But it finally dawned on me. I haven’t been watering the well-established trees in our yard.

One of the graphics shown at the presentation illustrated where droughts are hitting the US. The U.S. Drought Monitor, by the National Drought Mitigation Center in Lincoln, Neb., has time-lapsed displays showing how the severity of drought across the US has increased over 6 or 12 weeks.

Map via U.S. Drought Monitor.

You can click on the map to see your region, or even your state with the county divisions.

Here are some tips on trees/drought care that I found helpful:

University of Florida Horticulture

Morten Arboretum

Guess it’s time to turn on the hose again.