Helping Your Garden Survive A Dry Spell (NAPSA)—Aprolonged period of hot, dry weather can be stressful for both gardeners andplants. That’s because heat, humidity, and lowrain levels can ultimately lead to the devastation of lawns, shrubs and gardens. While a drought can be a burden for any gardener, experts at Vigoro suggest several tips to maintain and keep your garden beautiful during a summerdrought. Mulch properly—Use two to three inches of mulch around trees and shrubs and one to two inches around vegetable and flower plants to keep the soil tem- perature cooler and to keep moisture in the ground. Water early or late—To cut down on water loss through evaporation, watering in the early morning or eveningis best. Use soaker hoses or a drip irrigation system—By using soaker hoses and drip irrigation ae % To cut down on waterloss through evaporation, watering in the early morning or eveningis best. high heat, high humidity and low water conditions. Recently, Vigoro, a supplier of lawn and garden products, intro- duced a line of over 200 annuals systems, water can be directed to and perennials, including several drought-tolerant species. The leaves, which causes less chance of evaporation. Cleome, Coleus, Marigolds, Petunias, Begonias, Phlox, Salvia and your plants—Save rainwater by putting a rain collector under downspouts from the roof. Use a Tickseed, Sage, Hollyhock and Iceland Poppy can also be a wise the root zone rather than the Use rainwater to water watering can to directly apply the rainwater to plants. Plant drought-tolerant species—Choose annuals or perennials that can survive in drought-tolerant annuals include Zinnia, while perennials such as choice for gardens experiencing drought conditions. For more gardening tips and a listing of Vigoro’s annuals and perennials, visit the Web site at www.vigoro.com.
