In drought, once-lush lawns find it’s not easy being green
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Center Grove resident Dick Huber explains where his lawn has been hit the hardest with this year's drought. The most damage has come in areas that are not shaded during parts of the day by his house or trees in the backyard.
PHOTO BY RYAN TRARES
Over the course of one of the driest summers on record, the landscape of central Indiana looks more like the scrub land of Texas.
Lush green lawns have been replaced by brittle clumps of brown grass. With water restrictions in place, rose bushes and other garden plants are shriveling up.
The record dryness and unending heat have wreaked havoc on local lawns. Even those who have broken the water ban and set up the sprinkler are finding that the water barely keeps the grass green.
Many gardeners have given up on this year but have started wondering what to do to bring back their blooming, healthy yards next year. Lawn experts say that homeowners can take the necessary steps to ensure that their yards bounce back again in the fall and next spring.
“If your lawn is all brown, don’t give up on that. A good part of it might come back. We won’t know until we get some rains, but I think a lot of people will be surprised how much comes back,” said Steve Mayer, extension educator for Purdue Extension of Marion County.
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