It was supposed to rain on Cape Cod Monday. It didn’t, nor has it recently, and as anyone with a garden knows, the soil is dry as dust. Belatedly, the state finally recognized last week what we have all known for some time: that Cape Cod is in the midst of a moderate drought. Brown lawns, droopy foliage and low water levels in streams and ponds are all obvious signs of current conditions. Stick a shovel in the ground if you need any more convincing.
We have had droughts before, and we will have them again, but this is different because of the excessive and oppressive heat we have experienced this year. The year is not over but it is a pretty good bet that this will be among the hottest years on record. The warmest seven years in recorded history have all been since 2015, so this is not an anomaly despite what the “science” team at Fox News may tell you.
As you may know, we at APCC promote minimization of lawns and utilization of native plants, embrace Cape Cod lawn types and avoidance of herbicides and fertilizers. This drought is pretty good evidence of why. APCC’s headquarters is dominated by native plantings and admittedly, they look a little heat weary right now. That said, we are not using thousands of gallons of precious drinking water fighting a losing battle to keep them wet. And we do that knowing that because these plant types are acclimated to our climate and are drought tolerant, that they will come back strong next year. That stands in stark contrast to manicured bluegrass lawn types that don’t really want to be here in the first place and demand a lot of water and fertilizer to stay green and survive the drought.
A yard based on native plants is more resilient and better suited to handle the extremes of our altered climate. Now is a really good time to look out at your brown lawn and resolve to make changes, even if that means simply overseeding with clover instead of replanting grass. Better still, if your lawn remains green and lush because of all the water and fertilizer you are applying, please think hard about changing your yard care practices to become more compatible with the needs of the environment.
