Drought Survivability Study Follow up

Just how much can we cut back on watering plants and still have a great looking landscape?  An experiment conducted summer of 2015 in San Antonio seeks to answer that question.  Last spring I wrote about the drought survivability study by Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources in San Antonio to test popular landscape plants under various irrigation conditions over the summer.  When the test ended this past fall I went down to check out how some of my favorite plants had fared.

The project site is off the beaten track to say the least.  It's down that road a fair piece.

Drought Survivability Study: Testing limits of landscape plants

Just how much water is required to keep landscapes looking good through a drought in Central Texas?  Or is the question really "good enough" during such times?  These are questions our region has been grappling with during several years of extreme drought conditions.  The challenge is more than lack of rain since our growing population increases the demand for water, while landscapes are a major drain on water resources.

Last week my friend Melody and I traveled down to the Drought Simulator southeast of town to learn more about a new research project headed by Dr. Calvin Finch of Texas A&M's Institute of Renewable Natural Resources.  This Drought Survivability Study will enable researchers to document the performance of 100 of our most popular landscape plants under different drought conditions.  The study is sponsored jointly by the San Antonio Water System (SAWS), the cities of Austin and Georgetown, and the San Antonio River Authority (SARA), as well as Texas A&M.

Dr. Finch opened the presentation with an overview of the study.  I was particularly heartened to hear that Dr. Finch, horticulturist and gardener, is placing importance on keeping our landscapes looking good during drought while conserving water.  According to materials received at the meeting, currently available research indicates we may be overwatering our plants.