As North Carolina continues to navigate severe or extreme drought conditions, homeowners may be noticing a dramatic shift in the appearance of their yards. If your landscape looks like it’s struggling, it is likely reacting to the stress of high temperatures and insufficient rainfall. Here is what you can expect to see as your plants and lawn attempt to survive these conditions.
The Dormant Lawn: Brown, Not Necessarily Dead The most visible sign of drought is a brown lawn. While it may look dead, turf often enters a state of dormancy to protect itself. This is a natural survival mechanism; it is actually much less stressful for grass to remain dormant than to be forced into an active, drought-stressed state by light watering. You may also notice that grass stops growing entirely, which is why experts recommend setting mowers to the highest cutting height to shade the soil and protect what remains from "sunburn".
Trees and Shrubs: Early "Autumn" and Yellowing Your trees may look like fall has arrived months early. Yellowing or browning leaves and early leaf fall, sometimes as early as June or July, are common responses to heat and drought stress. Healthy trees can often regrow these leaves once the rains return, but the loss is a clear sign the tree is trying to use less water.
However, keep a sharp eye on your evergreens and pines. If you see bright brown needles and small, popcorn-like white to reddish pitch tubes on the bark, this could indicate a secondary attack from native pine beetles, which target trees already weakened by drought. For evergreens like rhododendrons and spruce, drought symptoms in the fall are particularly dangerous, as they can lead to needle death once the ground freezes and prevents any further water intake.
The Triage List: Who Wins and Who Loses? Not every plant will react the same way. You can expect different levels of resilience across your garden:
● The Survivors: Established native trees and drought-tolerant varieties like Bermudagrass and Zoysiagrass are built to handle these spells by slowing their growth.
● The Vulnerable: Trees and shrubs planted within the last two years are at the highest risk because their root systems are not yet fully developed. Newly planted "bare-root" seedlings are particularly susceptible compared to containerized ones.
● The "Struggle to Survive": Without significant intervention, drought-sensitive favorites like hydrangeas, Japanese maples, azaleas, and dogwoods often succumb to extended dry periods.
Garden Production Slump In the vegetable garden, expect a decrease in production unless you are consistently supplementing rainfall to reach one inch of water per week. Drought stress is most damaging during germination, transplanting, and fruit development. If plants look past their prime or are heavily stressed by insects, it may be time to remove them to conserve what little moisture is left for your "priority" plants.
A Note for the Future While your landscape may look bleak now, this is a perfect time to make notes. Document which plants are thriving and which are failing. This information will be useful when the drought breaks and you begin planning a more resilient landscape filled with plants that can handle both the dry spells and the heavy rains typical of our region.
