Drought Conditions and Herbs

The Beneficial Plants - Herbs For Drought Conditions

As much of the East Coast is now experiencing drought conditions and some forecasts predict that will be the state of the climate for several years to come, it's time to look at alternate planting methods and plants to use.

Obviously most grasses are used solely for eye comfort to hide bare dirt. Little else is gained by the most popular grasses. You can not smell them unless they are cut down, no taste, not healthy, no crafting, not medicinal, and high water consumption. The question begs itself, why plant them?

One very useful and practical class of plants to put in your yardscape is the "Mediterranean " herbs, ie. basil, oregano, rosemary, thymes to name but a few. These plants are drought tolerant, require little if any maintenance, and are "beneficial" plants for human and animal use. This group of plants desire very little water, hardly any cutting except for personal use, are highly aromatic, culinary additions to most dishes you make, and beautiful low maintenance plants to enhance your yard.

It is very hard to duplicate what it's like to walk over a ground cover of spearmint, pineapple mint early at dawn and have the delightful fragrances wafting around you. It is truly a lifesyle enhancer that is unmatched in the experiences of many of us and our kids. To sit at night on your deck beside a blue spire rosemary as the breeze blows through the leaves and smell that wonderful fragrance while sipping your favorite white wine lightly dusted with sweet woodruff is a moment to savor.

As the winter sets upon us, take the time to help preserve the use of our water and plan on incorporating the mediterranean herbs in your landscape next spring for the years to come. It not only will make your life more pleasurable but is also good for our environment and as we all know, quite fashionable!!!

Bob Johnson