When in doubt, plan for drought
“Butterflies in Xeric Garden” by greeleygov (CC PDM 1.0).
Northern Illinois is currently experiencing unseasonably dry conditions.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, which provides up-to-date information on the location and intensity of drought conditions throughout the country, 100% of DuPage County is experiencing moderate drought. We had an unseasonably dry spring (the third driest on record) and we are now witnessing the effects of the lack of rainfall in our landscapes. We can do our part and reduce the stress placed on our environment (and our pocketbooks) by implementing sustainable gardening practices that reduce water usage. These practices include, but are not limited to:
Reducing our lawn footprint. We use billions of gallons of water each day to water lawns across the country. Lawns do little to reduce stormwater runoff, offer no ecosystem services (or food), and require much by way of fertilizer, water and gasoline consumption. We can reduce our lawn footprint (and the costs associated with maintaining lawns) by: installing and/or increasing planting beds of drought tolerant plants; planting groundcovers; and installing hardscape features, such as rocks.
Including microclover in our lawn. Prior to World War II, clover was commonplace in lawns. It is a nitrogen fixer (key to healthy plant communities) and provides various ecosystem services. Clover stays green in a landscape longer than turf grass under drought conditions and requires less water generally. It can be mixed in with grass.
Installing beds of native plants. Drought conditions quickly dry out the first several inches of soil. This is often the depth at which nonnative plant roots grow (such as the typical lawn grass). Nonnative plants thus typically require more watering than our homegrown natives. Once established, native plants can have root systems several feet in depth. This allows them to extract water where nonnative plants cannot and consequently reduces our need for watering.
Using rain barrels. Depending on your roof catchment area, an inch of rain can equate to hundreds of gallons of water saving potential. This water comes in handy in drought conditions or when you want to lower your monthly water bill.
Watering plants and/or grass in the morning or in the evening. This allows for less water loss through evapotranspiration.
Planting and/or keeping trees in our landscapes. Tree canopies provide shade from the sun, allowing for less evapotranspiration from plants at the lower levels.
Resources:
To see current drought conditions, visit: https://www.drought.gov/states/illinois/county/dupage.
For tips on how to reduce your lawn footprint, see: https://learn.eartheasy.com/articles/how-to-reduce-the-size-of-your-lawn//
For a list of drought-tolerant native plants, shrubs and trees, see: https://illinoisprairie.wildones.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2018/10/Drought-Tolerant-Natives.pdf.
To see a visual of native plant root systems, visit: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/il/plantsanimals/NRCS141P2_030726/.
To work out how many gallons of water you can harvest in a rain barrel through your roof catchment, visit: https://www.rainbarrelguide.com/how-much-water-can-you-collect-in-rain-barrels-during-a-rainfall/.