Gardening: Hotter, drier summers means it’s time to rethink landscapes

Let’s face it, we don’t have “normal” summers anymore. This year the heat arrived in May and has only increased as we go into what was our traditional hot season. This is great for tomato lovers, but in the long term what does this mean for the way we garden?

We are experiencing our third summer of exceptionally hot, dry weather and it’s beginning to take a toll on some of our established gardens. This trend is expected to continue, and we need to begin planning for it.

In the short term, all we can do now is water until it cools down. The plants and the lawns will revive and come back to life at some point this fall before they go dormant before winter. However, we are going to have to rethink how we lay out our gardens and revamp existing plantings to meet the new challenges.

One of the first and the easiest things we can do is review how much water our existing gardens really need. What expectations do we need to adjust? Can plants that need less water be grouped together in one area and those that need more in another? Can we trade out water thirsty plants for those that are more drought tolerant but still create the look we want? Can an irrigation system then be reworked with new heads and a smart timer to provide what each area needs and no more?

Changes like these will take time and will require some mindset changes but are possible and can be done in stages as gardeners have time, energy and money or a good DIY spirit.

If you live within the city of Spokane and want to get a jump on this process, you can take advantage of the SpokaneScape program that helps gardeners remove lawn and replace it with drought tolerant plantings in exchange for a credit on your water bill. Check out the program at my.spokanecity.org/publicworks/water/water-wise-spokane/spokanescape. If you aren’t in the city, the program still has some good suggestions on what can be done to reduce water use.

What might these changes look like? The Inland Empire Gardeners, sponsors of the annual Spokane in Bloom Garden Tour, want to help you see the possibilities and are looking for some really cool gardens to feature on their 2024 tour next June. Because next year is the 50th anniversary of the environmentally focused Expo ’74, they want to celebrate our changing garden traditions by featuring classic home gardens alongside gardens that demonstrate the emerging sustainable garden trends.

With their theme of “What’s Old Is New Again,” they are looking for gardens that show off classic restorations and gardens that are transitioning to or are already using more sustainable gardening practices. Gardens, large and small, that show off the use of drought tolerant plants, biological diversity and creative use of space are especially welcome.

If you are interested in being on the tour, contact ViAnn Meyer, president of TIEG, at (509) 535-8434 or by email at tieg@comcast.net.