The drought has wreaked havoc on the landscape.  Some of the damage, like with turf, was seen fairly early into the drought.  The extent of damage to trees and shrubs might not be fully realized until this spring.

Being observant of plant material can help determine if it was just dinged or the damage was more severe.  Brown or discolored foliage doesn’t always mean the plants are on their way out or beyond the point of no return.  In addition to drought, winter desiccation can also cause many evergreens to change colors.  Evergreen trees and shrubs are constantly loosing moisture through their leaves during the winter.  Winter desiccation happens when the root system isn’t able to absorb enough moisture to keep up with the amount lost by the leaves.  It causes evergreens to have a brown or tan coloration at the ends of the needles. The damage usually occurs uniformly…

The recent rains might have pushed the issue to the back of your mind, but it is still there staring us in the face; the drought.  The drought has wreaked havoc on more than trees and shrubs in the landscape; turf also was affected.  Don’t worry there is still time to get a lush, green lawn this growing season.

Due to last year’s drought, many lawns might not recover from damage they have received.   Assessing the appearance and the amount of damage in your turf will pay off in the long run.  If over 50 percent of your lawn is still in good condition and is of the grass species you desire, overseeding might be a good option to fill in those thin, damaged areas.  If your lawn is less than 50 percent desirable living grass, renovation of the entire lawn might be in your future.

Seed selection can be…