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By ELIZABETH DROZDA-FREEMAN, LCRA
September 2006
With cooler morning temperatures and a tiny bit of water in the rain gauge, it looks like we have made it through another dry, hot summer.
For long-time Central Texans the incessant heat and drought over the past few months was no surprise. For newcomers, this summer may have been a revelation. All of us can use this time to reevaluate the choices we have made in our landscapes.
Hardest hit in many of our yards was St. Augustine turf in the sun. By mid-July it probably became apparent that without constant vigilance and water, keeping that turf going was an iffy proposition. One family vacation without irrigation could be the death of a patch of St. Augustine in a sunny location.
There are several possible ways to address a stressed grass patch. Planting more trees in your yard will eventually provide the shade necessary for healthy St. Augustine. Trees can lower the water demands for your other plants as well. October through February is the ideal time to plant trees in Central Texas. Be sure to give your trees room to grow—at least 12 feet out from houses or other structures, and 15 feet from under power lines for shade trees.
If your sunny patch is under power lines, or you want to keep the area grassy, consider replacing the St. Augustine with a more drought-tolerant turf such as zoysia, Bermuda, or buffalo grass. These turf types will go dormant in the summer, freeing you from sprinkling. Whatever turf you choose, be sure to have at least 4 to 6 inches of high-quality soil underneath. No amount of water or fertilizer will save turf sitting on rock during a Texas summer.
For flower lovers, a dead patch of turf is the perfect opportunity to explore some of our many gorgeous Texas native plants. The varieties in texture, foliage color and blooms add tremendously to the landscape.
Finally, don’t forget to check your automatic irrigation system. Broken or misdirected heads make effective watering impossible. As November arrives with its cooler temperatures and increased moisture, you can turn your irrigation system off for the winter in your established landscape beds.
Landscaping that reflects the extremes of a region gives our homes a sense of place. Allow the Texas summer to help shape your yard for all seasons. For tips on saving water go to www.wateriq.org.
Elizabeth Drozda-Freeman is a conservation landscape specialist at LCRA. Call her at 1-800-776-5272, Ext. 2230, with questions about Hill Country landscaping, or e-mail her at elizabeth.drozda-freeman@lcra.org.
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