Unpopular take: that 2019 drought near Austin actually made my garden stronger

I remember everyone panicking when we went 90 days without rain in 2019, but the native plants that survived now need zero watering during dry spells. Has anyone else noticed tougher local species after a big weather extreme changed your yard?

3 comments

3 Comments

wood.eric25d ago

Started noticing that after the 2019 dry spell my salvias and texas sage actually bounced back way healthier than before. The key was letting them go through the drought without babying them with extra water. I watched my neighbor's non-native stuff die off while the local plants just went dormant and waited for the rain to come back. If you want tougher plants next time, try planting stuff like mexican feathergrass or agarita that are already adapted to this climate. Also a good tip is to water deep but not often so the roots grow down looking for moisture instead of staying near the surface. That one weather extreme really taught me to stop treating my yard like it needed constant pampering.

linda_dixon4925d agoTop Commenter

Used to baby my plants too lmao, but this totally flipped my thinking.

betty_kelly925d ago

Girl same here @linda_dixon49! I used to be the helicopter plant mom watering everything on a schedule until that 2019 drought near Austin sorted out what really belonged in my yard. My salvias and the prairie zinnias looked dead for a good month but then bounced back twice as thick once the rain finally came. I watched all the non-native stuff my neighbor had planted melt away while the stuff already adapted to this climate just shrugged it off like it was nothing. Its wild how much stronger your garden gets when you stop treating it like a houseplant and let it actually deal with the weather.