Landscapers who depend on water have to come up with new ways to survive. John Latz is one of many homeowners who will have to figure out how to keep his plants alive. "How am I gonna water those plants this summer? And I've been hearing a lot, reading a lot about the rain barrels and though I might as well invest in those," Latz said.
Another solution would be to stock more plants that can handle drought conditions. Plant expert Logan Bristow says a nandina domestica's is a drought survivor. "Very widely used in landscaping. Extremely tolerant of a drought situation. Very tolerant of hot sun," Bristow said.
There are several plants that could survive drought, but they all cost between $20 and $30 and need a bit of maintenance. They all need about three inches of mulch before planting plus, "If you don't amend your soil," Bristow says, "Your chances of having success in the weather pattern we're in now are probably not as good."
Bristow also says organic material like compost helps under ordinary circumstances because much of our soil is clay.
See a complete list of drought resistant plants here.
