Landscape Renewal
A perennial garden with low stone wall and rustic gate features Angelonia and Pentas.
WEATHER EXTREMES FROM EXTENDED FREEZES TO THAT DASTARDLY DROUGHT HAVE REDEFINED LANDSCAPE STRATEGIES IN THE HOUSTON AREA S TO RY B Y S A N D R A C O O K • P H O TO S B Y H O M E & H A B I TAT
It seems Mother Nature has been trying to tell us something. Perhaps that message is “mother knows best.” For decades, many traditional lawns and landscapes in this area were designed to be watered frequently, and historically, rainfall averages have provided much of that irrigation. For decades we have consistently received enough rainfall to support a rainbow of tropical plants and acres of St. Augustine. According to the National Climatic Data Center, from 1970 to 2000 our average annual rainfall was almost 50 inches per year, with anywhere from 3 to 5 inches of rain each and every month. But 2011’s rainfall was less than half of what our landscapes are used to. Preliminary estimates reveal the total annual rainfall was around just 21 inches, with at least four months recording less than one inch of rain. BEYOND THE DROUGHT
With the worst summer on record burned into our memories, it’s almost difficult to recall the past two winters’ deep freezes. Consecutive days and nights below freezing also brought unfamiliar landscape catastrophes to our neighborhoods. Vincas and Angelonia add lush texture to a back porch. 22
house& home | F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 2 | h o u s e a n d h o m e o n l i n e . com