May is usually the ideal time to brighten up your yard by putting in new flowers or plants. But with almost all of the D.C. area currently in a severe drought, you’ll need to take special steps to keep new plants and your lawn healthy.
When you buy a plant, read the label on it or talk to someone at a nursery or greenhouse to make sure you know what it needs to flourish.
For instance, if it needs full shade, keep it out of the sun because the drought is going to present an added challenge.
“Make sure that you are picking the right plant and planting it in the right place to help alleviate some of those site-specific stresses on plants,” said Ed Olsen, a consumer horticulture specialist at Virginia Tech.
Even a drought-resistant plant needs extra water on its roots in the first year after it’s planted.
“Water directly to the plant, whether you’re doing it with a hose or maybe a soaker hose, rather than a broad sprinkler,” Olsen said.
Studies show that if you use a sprinkler, as much as 30% of the water coming out of it simply evaporates and never makes it to your thirsty plant.
Olsen said it’s best to water plants in the morning, when they’re under less stress and more likely to suck up the liquid. The same advice applies to your lawn.
“We really don’t recommend that you water lawns late in the afternoon or in the evening because then, that moisture stays on the grass plant and you can actually develop diseases,” he said.
He suggested putting down 3 to 4 inches of mulch, which helps keep sunlight out and moisture in the soil around your new plant.
“You want to make sure that it’s not touching the trunk or the stem of the plant,” he added.
Olsen also suggested ways to conserve water use while still keeping your watering can full.
“Some folks might already have rain barrels connected to their gutters and down spouts. That’s a great way to collect water, but you can easily take empty buckets and put them around outside where you know that you’re going to get some good rain,” he said.