Other plants are certainly doing better than my light brown lawn grass and dark brown clover, but the happiest plants of all are wild carrot (a non-native biennial).
Of the native plants on and at the edges of my yard: Snakeroot -- upper leaves are withering and I'm not expecting many flowers next month Sensitive pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) -- it flowered but it's looking like it may not survive to produce seed; since this is an annual I'll need to reseed over the winter Mountain mint -- lower leaves are brown; I bet the roots are fine Milkweed -- stems are drooping and the first year plants probably won't survive; I bet the roots are fine Vervain (Verbena urticifolia and hastata) -- green but stems are drooping, which is great condition for a plant that is said to like wet soil Goldenrod (various species of Solidago) -- leaves are drooping and I wonder if those that have not flowered yet will do anything this year Bee balm (Monarda) -- most of it is pretty sad looking but a few patches are still OK Raspberry (Rubus occidentalis and an undetermined species) -- doing well or poorly depending on sun exposure and local water supply Sedges -- mostly doing well but I didn't plant any in dry places in full sunlight Fleabane -- not as good as last year; I hope my lawn has a good seed bank because the common New England species are not commercially available in lawn-seeding quantities I have also noticed signs that trees are stressed. Leaves and small nuts are dropping. I want to add something to the planting advice already given. Look where the water flows off your driveway. I found two places along mine where wetland plants thrive on runoff. John Carr On Wed, Aug 3, 2022 at 7:14 AM Rachel Neurath <[email protected]> wrote: > > Hi Lincoln Talk! > > A couple days ago, Stephanie Smoot made the wonderfully insightful > observation that pollinator meadows in town appear to weather the drought > better than lawns. > > This seems like the perfect introduction to a lineup of events this fall on > Gardening for a Changing Climate (dates TBD), including a demonstration of > lawn to meadow conversion, hosted by LLCT, Codman Community Farms, and > Lincoln Common Ground - a continuation of the spring Healthy Soils Series. > > If you are interested in my soil ecologist's perspective on why meadows are > more resilient to drought than lawn, here is a brief list - and we can talk > more this fall!: > > 1. Meadows store more organic matter (including carbon, which is critical for > offsetting climate change) than lawns. Organic matter helps soils hold on to > more water - every 1% increase in soil organic matter can result in up to > 20,000 gallons of available soil water per acre (source: USDA-NRCS). > > 2. Native perennials in pollinator meadows have deeper roots, providing > access to deeper stores of water in soil. > > 3. A diverse assemblage of deeply rooted perennials typically have more > mycorrhizal fungal associations. These symbiotic fungi help transport more > water to the plants in exchange for food (carbon) from the plants, providing > more protection in a drought. > > If you are interested in learning more and want to get involved with exciting > nature-based solutions to climate change, contact Emily Haslett to learn more > about Lincoln Common Ground: [email protected] > > All the best, > Rachel Neurath (member of Lincoln Common Ground, Mothers Out Front Lincoln) > > -- > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > To post, send mail to [email protected]. > Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. > Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. > Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. > -- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to [email protected]. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
