How do the nurseries do it? Here's how to keep your garden lush during a dry spell

With the dog days of summer here, most of Canada is enjoying sizzling temperatures and sunny skies, but keeping a garden lush in high heat and dry conditions can be a struggle.

Perry Grobe, the owner of Waterloo-based Grobe's Nursery and Garden Centre, answered a few frequently asked questions about gardening in dry weather to help you keep your green thumb from turning brown during this summer's dry spell. 

Is it safe to allow your lawn to go brown in the summer? 

Dry weather can make your lawn go to into a dormant sleep-like state.

That means that even if outer leaves turn brown, the core of the plant, known as the crown, can remain healthy for awhile and reactive when moisture returns.

The trick is in the timing. Researchers have found that plants that go into dormancy healthy and vigorous will usually come back out of it better than those that are stressed, weedy or thin. 

At some point between four to six weeks of drought, depending on just how moist the soil is, the crown can be become too damaged to grow back.

No crown means your lawn won't grow back even if moisture returns, so some watering throughout a dry period is key.

And if you are going to leave it dormant, don't mow or walk on the turf while it's brown as both can damage it. 

Can leaf scorch be fixed? 

Bad looking leaves are often times like a bad haircut. Given some time, the plant will outgrow the ugliness. 

But you can speed up the process by removing the damaged leaves and pruning the plant back. Beyond that, a bit of patience will go a long way while the plant re-grows. 

How can a gardener make the most of what little water is available? 

Watering during a water-use restriction can add a further complication to an already thirsty garden.

Most folks are familiar with what day of the week they can water the lawn. What is often less known is if there are alternate day watering permissions for other plants.

Taking advantage of what is permitted is key, as not all plants are as forgiving of turf when left to dry. 

And effective watering is key. With shorter watering windows, it makes sense to let your drawn drink up as much as possible when watering is allowed.

On top of watering, using mulch is a great way to conserve water you have applied. A soil rich in organic matter is also helpful to hold moisture. 

How much should you water in a drought? 

If you're using soils that are very well drained, such as sandy or gravelly types, then you'll probably want to take advantage of assigned watering days to replenish their moisture.

People living in newer homes where the 'bare minimum' topsoil is present, will want to do so as well. 

Newer plants may need watering as much as every other day. High temperatures coupled with high wind speeds make watering all the more necessary as both can very quickly draw moisture from leaves.

Heavier soils have the advantage of holding a small amount of water, owing to their slow percolation rate. But when extremely dry, heavy soils act more like cement. So while you might not need to water quite as much, it is important to do so to limit this effect. 

What are some of the best plants for dry conditions? 

While all new plants require careful watering as they're coming up, some plants are better suited to hot dry conditions than others.

Here are just a few plant choices notable for those dry areas:

Shrubs:
Bush Honeysuckle 
Flowering Quince
Smoke Bush 
Coralberries
Beauty Bush
Bangle Broom
Ninebark
Nannyberry
Potentilla
Wayfaring Tree

Evergreens:
Silver Fir
Green Carpet Juniper
Mugho Pine
Yucca

Perenials:
Silvermound
Dianthus
Daylilies
Lilies
Russian Sage 
Lavender
Sedum