PORTLAND, Ore. -- This month could end up being one of the driest Mays on record.
Gardeners can usually count on a little help from mother nature in late spring. May gets 2.47 inches of rain on average. So far this month, Portland International Airport has only recorded 0.15 inches.
The warm, dry weather is fun for some, but it can be tough on gardeners.
“Makes me sweat more,” said gardener Robin Pierce.
KGW ran into Robin as she was performing an “evacuation” on some plants. She wanted to get them out of the sun and into some shade.
“Dig it out with a pitchfork is what we are having to do,”
Lawns require even more water than many plants. Experts recommend one inch of water a week to keep it green through the summer.
“You can put out a tuna can when you put a sprinkler out and you can wait for that can to fill up with an inch of water, time it, and water it that much per week,” said East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District Sustainable Urban Landscapes Program Director Kathy Shearin.
The EMSWCD suggests saving water by landscaping with native plants. Those plants are adapted for wet winters and dry summers. Adding compost to the soil and a layer of mulch can help too.
“The mulch on the surface helps the water once it is soaked in it holds the moisture in so the roots can have access to it for longer,” said Shearin.
And if you don't mind how it looks, you don't really need to water your lawn in the summer.
“People just stop watering and we all kind of just brown out. We go dormant in the summer with our lawns which is cool and there is nobody that is super green making us feel bad,” said Robin.
Also don't waste water in the heat of the day. Do it in the morning or at night and when it is not windy.