By: Lindsey Cline-Shrader
As we move from a cool, rainy spring and step into the season of summer squash, sticky, sweet watermelons, and thick humidity, watering quickly becomes one of the gardener’s main challenges. Each year, our summers become hotter and drier—changing how our gardens grow and how we care for them. But plants don’t have to suffer. With a shift in approach, summer gardens can remain beautiful, healthy spaces.
Water Deeply and Early
The best time to water is early in the morning. This gives plants a strong start to the day and allows leaves to dry out by the afternoon, reducing the risk of powdery mildew and fungal diseases. Morning watering minimizes evaporation, meaning less water is wasted, and more reaches the roots.
Whether tending a new bed or maintaining an established one, water deeply and less often. Quick watering encourages shallow root growth, making plants less resilient to drought. Light watering can run off without soaking in if the soil is very dry.
Aim to imitate about one inch of rainfall—placing a shallow pan in the garden can help gauge your efforts. Or dig six inches down and check how far the water has reached.
Choose the Right Plants
Most importantly, plant the right plants in the right place. Choose drought-tolerant plants for sunny, dry areas. Many native species are naturally adapted to our summer
heat and bloom all season. You can also include Mediterranean plants like lavender, rosemary, sage, and lamb’s ear, which thrive in hot, dry conditions.
You’ll often hear gardeners talk about “hydrozoning”— a fancy term for grouping plants with similar water needs.
Keeping thirsty plants together and separate from drought-tolerant ones makes watering more efficient and offers spaces to enjoy after spring blooms disappear.
Reduce your garden maintenance by placing ornamentals in part shade or rich-soil pockets. Unless planted in a thoughtful place, common plants like roses, lilacs, rhododendrons, azaleas, and hydrangeas will likely need afternoon shade, yearly soil amendments, and weekly watering to look their best.
Observe Your Microclimates
Most often, the best improvements and the garden you dream of comes from simply paying attention. Which areas get the most afternoon sun, and which are partially shaded? Which areas have reflected heat from a building or pavement? Which areas get water from a downspout or depression?
These microclimates determine how much watering a space will need. Look for signs of heat stress—sunburnt leaves, brown or yellow leaf edges, or midday wilting—that signal a plant needs to be moved in the fall. Today’s observations shape next season’s plans and slowly build a resilient garden.
Quick Tips
Organic mulches help retain moisture, cool soil, improve soil health, and reduce weeds. Healthy soil holds moisture better, and planting densely helps plants thrive.
Shade new plants during establishment (the first 4-6 weeks after planting) in the summer. Shade cloth, other plants, or umbrellas can provide enough relief for plants to get fully rooted before the summer heat takes them out or slows their growth.
Install a rain barrel, which has two-fold benefits: first, it captures and reduces runoff and erosion, and second, it provides water when our water table dips in mid-summer. The James River Association periodically offers rain barrel workshops.
Use drip irrigation and soaker hoses to conserve water and deliver it directly to plant roots. Overhead watering wastes more water and encourages foliar diseases. If you prefer hand-watering, consider a watering wand to avoid over-spray and water roots directly.
Check containers daily. Potted plants dry out quicker than plantings, especially in terracotta pots that absorb moisture.
Unless you have self-watering pots, containers often need water daily during heatwaves. Top with mulch to help retain moisture.
Gardening is an act of resilience for us and the landscape. In the face of a changing climate and other environmental setbacks, we can begin with small, hopeful acts of restoration: planting native, reducing water use, and planning our spaces for resiliency. By creating habitat and beauty, we may find resiliency for ourselves, too.
10 Drought-Tolerant Native Plants
Common Yarrow
(Achillea millefolium)
A tough, spreading perennial with finely cut foliage that blooms all summer.
Black-eyed Susan
(Rudbeckia fulgida)
A cheerful and resilient bloomer that handles heat, neglect, and clay soil.
Little Bluestem
(Schizachyrium scoparium)
A native warm-season grass with a striking fall color that grows in nearly any place.
Narrowleaf Mountain Mint
(Pycnanthemum tenuifolium)
Consistently ranks highest in pollinator support,
is also deer resistant, and thrives in tough, dry soils.
Wild Bergamot
(Monarda fistulosa)
Lavender-pink flowers throughout late summer, deer resistant and adapted to dry soils.
Butterfly Weed
(Asclepias tuberosa)
A tap-rooted milkweed with bright orange flowers, ideal for dry, sandy soils.
Beardtongue
(Penstemon digitalis)
Grows easily in dry, well-drained soil with beautiful upright white blooms in spring.
Threadleaf Coreopsis
(Coreopsis verticillata)
Light, airy foliage with bright yellow blooms; thrives in hot, dry gardens.
Field Goldenrod
(Solidago nemoralis)
A showy, graceful goldenrod of manageable size that tolerates drought and thrives in tough soil.
Purple Lovegrass
(Eragrostis spectabilis)
A low, airy native grass with delicate pink-purple seed heads.
