Has the drought worn on you like it has to me? I don't remember a year like this, EVER!

This year my garden has been a real challenge. Furthermore, I am anxious to see if my lawn will green up again, and I fear for the survival of trees and shrubs. If you look at our weather pattern, this is the third consecutive year we have had some degree of drought. This year in particular has been cataclysmic, and the cumulative impact is evident. We lost a 70-foot tulip tree because of last year's dryness at the end of the summer.

My goal for the summer of '12 was to finally grow tomatoes in my shady yard. With the demise of the tulip tree, the yard was finally opened to receiving more sun. I was eager to try straw bale gardening, which involves hollowing out holes in a bale, inserting top soil, and planting seedlings. Each bale had two tomato plants and one zucchini plant with edges of basil. I also decided to tear up a perennial garden and turn it into an elevated vegetable garden. What a year to begin new gardens! Of course the biggest challenge immediately became watering. I was faithful and watered every three days. New hose connectors that let me clip on extensions or sprinklers were great helps. Luckily I am now harvesting tomatoes for the first time after 28 years of wishing.

So it is sun and lots of watering that made the difference. As fortune would have it, I've long known the importance of water because it's a key element to maintaining a habitat for birds and wildlife that I want for my yard. In fact, water is one of the requirements that has to be offered to become a Certified Wildlife Habitat for the National Wildlife Federation.

This year's drought has made it even more important to have water available. Through the summer, my yard has birdbaths stationed on all sides of the house. A small pond with a pump recirculates water. Also, I placed additional containers of open water on the edges of the yard for any wildlife that ventured through our property. The combination of rapid evaporation and lots of critters availing themselves of these sources reminded me to keep replenishing supplies on a daily basis. In addition to increased feeding (moisture in the seeds), birds thoroughly enjoyed the times my sprinkler was in use. I saw a myriad of different species darting in an out of the sprays.

My suggestion to all who are reading this is to keep providing water through the fall and into winter. Plants and trees in the area are so stressed that they need prolonged watering. Supposedly grass can go dormant, but drought can be fatal to trees and shrubs. Garden centers and tree trimmers may be the only ones to come out ahead when all is said and done. As the season changes, don't put the hoses away too soon. Give trees and shrubs sustained watering for as long as possible. Hopefully they will survive until spring to again begin the cycle of growth.