Let's talk about the "D" word
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The dreaded "D" word: Drought.
Let's do a quick N.C. pulse check. According to NOAA, as of June 23rd:
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9.5 million North Carolina residents are living in drought areas.
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Approximately two-thirds of Wake County is in an Extreme Drought, with the remaining third facing an Exceptional Drought.
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Several water restrictions are already in place across local municipalities.
I'm not going to sugarcoat it: it's bad.
But here is the silver lining—our native plants have been navigating this exact situation for thousands of years. They've co-evolved with our soils, our wildlife, and our wild weather swings. Generally speaking, they are built for this. And because of that, you can still plant right now and be incredibly successful.
The key is knowing how to work within local guidelines. Here is what's allowed right now:
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The City of Raleigh (including Garner, Wake Forest, Rolesville, Wendell, and Zebulon) has Stage 1 Mandatory water restrictions in place. Under this restriction, you can still use hand-held watering, bucket watering, and drip irrigation. (Landscape irrigation is recommended at a maximum of one-half inch per week).
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The Town of Cary allows hand-watering any day or time using an actively held device or drip irrigation.
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The Town of Apex allows hand-held hose watering every day and strongly encourages drip irrigation in their conservation guidelines.
It’s rough out there right now, friends. But we don't have to hit pause. We can absolutely move forward in creating critically important, sustainable landscapes that will be better suited to handle future droughts.
Ready to build a drought-resilient yard but not sure where to start?
The Good Plant Company is here to help. We offer professional consulting to choose the right native species for your specific soil, alongside reliable delivery to get your new landscape started on the right foot. We're your partner in mitigating the effects of this dry spell and build a stronger, greener future.