| Just thought I'd reply in brief. I have a garden in the province of Piacenza, in the hills. I don't know that the drought this summer was worse than usual (2003 WAS awful). I share your interest in (relatively) low labor, sustainable gardening. We have heavy clay soil, which is good and fertile if heavily amended with organic matter, and water retentive. A lot of plants, not all, like it, though most acidophile plants won't take it. I keep a heavy organic mulch on almost all my plants, which holds water itself and also keeps the ground below from developing a crust that water will run off of. Plants vary in their water needs, and also vary in the season in which they need water. Roses, which thrive here, have relatively modest water needs, as do a lot of aromatic plants like lavender, rosemary and thyme; spring-blooming bulbs like daffodils and tulips need water fall to spring, when there's usually rain here, then go dormant and welcome the droughty summers which are typical of this area. All these plants need water while they're adjusting to outdoor conditions and developing a root system, but then they have a considerable degree of drought tolerance. There are lots of other plants which have relatively low water needs once established: examples are box, laurel, and yew, not by coincidence standards in the classic Italian garden. I first learned a good deal about dealing with drought before I moved to Italy, when I lived in western Washington. This is a famously wet area, sure, but summers are dry, and I found out a lot about what would grow without watering if it didn't rain for five weeks at a stretch. Another point is to water only at need, and only right at the plant. We water, laboriously, with a hose for the most part. The more work it is to water, the more likely you are to confine yourself to what is really essential. Also, good soil preparation that allows plants to develop an ample root system is essential. But you know that. |
