Gardening In The Grove
by Bill Valuch

Droughtful Forecast

Let me state with an air of discovery what we already know, we are experiencing drought conditions here on the peninsula and so far it’s not looking like mother nature is going to cooperate anytime soon. December usually produces more rain than we have experienced so far and the long-term forecast is not promising. So now is the time to take action in the garden!

Cal-Am has been making suggestions for quite some time on how we can help by cutting back on our water usage in the garden. Turn your automatic irrigation systems down or better yet turn them off. Hand water only when necessary, surround your plants and trees with a good mulch to help retain the moisture and by all means choose only Drought Resistant plants when installing new landscapes and replacement of older plants.

Replacing thirsty plants with drought tolerant types now will save you water and money in the long run. Plants put into the ground now will benefit from the rain fall we will eventually receive and once established will require less water next season. There are so many choices now to choose from. Take a look at California Natives and the endless list of plants from other Mediterranean climates that do exceptionally well in our environment.

Pacific Grove and the rest of the peninsula have an added feature that drought tolerant plants will benefit from. Cooler temperatures year round and our coastal influence know as fog. I suggest you visit the Monterey Peninsula Water District's website which details many of the micro climates we have here and the plants that are best suited. Also featured in their website is the concept of Xeriscape which details a seven-step drought-tolerant landscape plan from the first stages of design to the eventual maintenance of a successful garden and landscape. This is a tried-and-true concept that has shown great success in areas more arid than ours. Visit them by googling "Monterey Peninsula Water Management District." This site is full of other water-saving tips that will make a difference.

I recently used the internet to locate another helpful site full of drought-tolerant plants that will do well here in our gardens: www.paradiseirrigation.com. This site has a long list of plants, trees, and annuals including brief descriptions of each. As I mentioned in the last column, Sunset Gardening Guide is also a great source of information for specific water-restricted gardens.

My last suggestion is to categorize your garden into the plants or trees that you most want to protect and those that you could live without. Spend the most amount of time, energy, and water on your most valued and hope for the best for those that are replaceable with drought-tolerant alternatives. In the meantime let's do all we can to conserve our precious resource both in and out of the garden and think rain!

Please take the time to email me with your favorite plants that have done well in these difficult times. Sharing your valuable experience with others is what keeps Pacific Grove the envy of all who visit our little corner of the world.

Please take the time to email me with your suggestions, tips and favorites so that we can begin sharing with all of the gardeners in the grove. Email your input to: misstrawicks@sbcglobal.net or submit them in writing and drop them by our shop at Miss Trawicks Garden Shop, 664 Lighthouse Avenue, Pacific Grove, California, at the little red house.