US Women Magazine August 2014 Vol 1 Issue 1 | Page 30

Home & Garden

Meet HOME & GARDEN EXPERT...

Teresa Stephens Harvey
Welcome! I’m very excited to share home and garden-

ing tips with you each month within the pages of US
Women Magazine and looking forward to your feedback
and questions to your home and gardening challenges.
Addressing real world and budget conscious solution for
your home and gardening needs.
US Women Magazine has no geographical boundaries
so it will be fun seeing the concerns and solutions for
the various areas our readers live in.
Right now it’s August and I’m a native Texan. That
simply means hot, Hot, and HOT temperatures with
little to no rain. In fact Texas is still limping through a
five year drought. We currently face severe water restrictions, wilting, sparse and struggling plants as a result.
This may be a problem many of you around the country
are experiencing. With that in mind I would like to take
a look at drought tolerant plants, water conservation
methods and xeriscaping garden ideas.

Drought tolerant plants can easily be found in local
nurseries. You may be drawn to your big box centers
for price and I understand that appeal. However, you
must shop wisely. Big box centers do not all ways carry
plants for a specific area. Read the labels and do your
homework. Consider your yard. Make sure you plant
Sun loving plants in sunny areas and shade loving plants
in your shady areas. After you bring your plants home
you need to help it settle in and adjusting to low water
use. Dig your hole slightly larger than your plant container, an inch or two wider and deeper, then add a mix
of good quality garden soil mixed with peat moss and
compost. I like to add equal parts of each, then plant

your new plant loosening the root base and cover with
more of your soil mix, give the plant a good watering
then cover with mulch. Mulch is essential at keeping
in moisture and nutrients to your plants. It will help
protect them in times of extreme heat, less water and
colder temperatures as well. Some of the drought tolerant plants that do well in N. Texas are: Crape Myrtle
bushes, Texas Red Yucca, Hummingbird Bush, Texas
Sage, Chocolate Daisy, Lambs Ear, Mountain Pink,
Buffalo Grass, Texas Sedge, and Dessert Willow to
name a few. **Fall, early winter and spring are the best
times to plant. Do not plant new plants in summer or
during high drought conditions.

Drought tolerant plants and the use of native and
adaptive plants is what xeriscaping is all about.

If you’re not in a county, city or town that is already under mandated water restrictions chances