OKLAHOMA OUTSIDE
Oklahoma Gardens in Recovery Mode I
By Allan Storjohann
t’s always a bit exciting when records are bro- ken. But weather related records, like the deepest snowfall, the heaviest rain, the low- est temperature and most recently the most days over 100 degrees in a year, just make me cringe a bit. Whether we like it or not, the summer of 2011 now has a place in the record books, and we’ll all remem- ber it as one of the toughest summers on the Oklahoma landscape. It is pretty obvious to most garden- ers that conditions this summer were too much for many of our plants. High air and soil temperatures com- bined with excessive drought took down many delicate shrubs and shade plants, while the searing sun- shine scorched trees and shrubs out in the open. Because the plants were often wilted, many of us over watered plants to help them out, and actually worsened their condition by drowning the roots. So how can
we revive all these scorched, leafl ess plants? Is it pos- sible to bring them back? My fi rst suggestion is to check each plant out to see the extent of its damage. If just the leaves on the outside of the shrub are brown or shriveled the only thing needed may be to snip the shoots back a bit until you are into the healthy, happy foliage. If the whole plant has defoliated and no leaves are on it, then you will need to cut through the stem to see if it is alive; a couple cuts with a hand pruner will con- fi rm how far back it has died. Bending branch tips is also a good fi rst step. If the twig snaps, then the plant has indeed died back. In the worst cases the plant may indeed have died back to the ground, but I wouldn’t give up totally on it even if it has lost its entire top. Many shrubs can regrow from the base with some water and cooler conditions. Once the ex- tent of damage is known, it is a good idea to remove all dead stems and shoots. Continue to water these plants if weather conditions stay dry. Trees all over Oklahoma have turned brown this summer. It is very common for many trees to drop a high percentage of leaves during drought and re- sprout new leaves when rains return in early fall. So
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24 OKLAHOMA LIVING
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