Rain, rain go away! Visit my Garden another Day!
By Janice Brown
Flooding is becoming an all too common occurrence on the news lately. Texas is continuing to be hit hard by heavy spring rains that have inconvenienced some and devastated others. I pray that our audience is among those who have been slightly inconvenienced, having no major loss of life or property. As this rainy pattern continues, here are a few tips with dealing with the deluge.
Ornamental Landscapes
The Texas Gulf Coast was originally prairie land that became inundated with flood waters from time-to-time. The native plants of Texas are used to these conditions, so they stand firm against the waters and carry on once things got drier. This is another reason why planting native ornamentals is a good idea. My ornamental landscape has sat under a foot of water or so multiple times and most of my plants never have any ill effect. I have quite a few natives such as lantana, beauty berry, Care Free Beauty roses, and salvias. These plants will pretty much live and bloom through anything. If your landscape was flooded, here are some tips to help it bounce back.
- Rinse debris off plants. I know this seems contrary to logic because there’s already been too much water, but debris can have contaminates on it and damage leaves.
- Look for places that have been broken or may be rotting. Prune them off the plant.
- Clean up debris using gloves to avoid scratches to skin. Remember that flood waters may contain contaminants.
- If there are newly planted items in the landscape, look for plants that may have been washed out of their hole. Replant these right away.
- Feed plants, as most fertilizers have probably been washed away. First wait a couple of weeks or so to let plants get over shock especially if a heat wave follows the flood. Consider adding a soil additive such as molasses, fish emulsion, or compost to reinvigorate depleted soils.
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