i suspect you will see little if any impact ...

mature trees wont be phased ...

flowering shrubs may actually flower with abandon.. if they were somehow affected long term by some drought... a reproductive response to the threat to the species.;. to create seed ...

soil fertility is not impacted by drought ...

wildlife ebbs and flows ... its natures way ...

remind me again.. where you are .. somewhere in some desert???.... upstate NY ???? ... lol

ken

I agree with Ken.... There might be a greater impact if winter is also drier than normal for a few years along with drier growing seasons. I have kept rain records here since 2003. There have been several years with drier growing seasons than this one so, while it is always traumatic to go through a hot and/or dry growing season, one year is not enough to cause much permanent damage so we need to wait and see if this weather condition continues for the next few years. I was just looking at the rain totals for August - we were about an inch below last year and the yearly average - but July was over two inches below average/last year! So it was certainly a dry summer but we need to see how long these weather conditions last before assessing long term impacts on plants ant wildlife. One of the reasons I keep the rain records is that its hard, without them, to remember what past years were really like - the current year tends to overshadow our memory of prior years! Of course conditions in your area might differ substantially.... We are on the north shore of Lake Ontario and in the rain-shadow (i.e. to the east of....) the Niagara Escarpment. Those two things have a big impact on our weather. What effect Climate Change might have on local conditions has yet to be known for sure so that remains a big source of uncertainty and potential variability. Nature will always adapt in some way - it might not be to the liking of human gardeners though!

Well, I would disagree. Mature trees can be impacted by drought, especially if there are repeated period of drought over multiple years, although we may not realize it right away. Tree rings tell the story, though. Obviously, the impact is not as strong as with young trees, but the stress is there. A tree weakened by drought can also be more susceptible to insects like borers and pathogens that attack the trees. No, a tree will most likely not fall over after one summer drought, but it may not be as healthy for the long term after several droughts. Lately, we seem to have a fairly long period of drought every summer, so I do water deeply every ten days or so. This year, we aren't even seeing many thunderstorms which offer brief respites from the dryness.

Droughts are hard on birds, too. I have eight bird baths on our half acre and I also run a sprinkler when we have had more than a couple of weeks of no rain. since the birds will frolic in the water.

I am in the mid-Atlantic region outside DC. I am planting only native plants at this point. I have been planting only native trees for years. The natives seem to do better whatever the weather. Of course, that is anecdotal evidence only.

I think it must be relative :-) Summer drought is recurrent here, due to our rainfall patterns and I'd suspect we get much less rain in summer than most areas east of the Rockies. But we also do not get high heat (although this year we have had a slew of days in the upper 80's to low 90's, which is unusually high for us). Some years are worse than others but most established plants take it in stride and while they can look stressed now, they recover nicely in spring. And most homeowners water what they value - edibles/veg garden, containers and trees and shrubs that are sensitive to dry conditions. And many, like me, choose to let their lawns go dormant in summer. Less frequent mowing required and the lawns come back to life in fall.

And I agree there is no impact on soil fertility and not much on wildlife. Summer drought seems to have zero effect on local populations of slugs and snails!!

Just an FYI but rhododendrons set flower buds for the coming year in late summer and early fall. For the buds to form and develop properly, they need plenty of water, so if you haven't been watering rhodies regularly, start doing so now if you want a good flower show next spring.

I think the biggest repercussions will be the attack on your wallet from the water bill.

The drought summers have been for here for the last 5 or 6 years now and its taken its toll.... Yes we’ve had good spurts of rain at times, but too far and few between.....

I’ve removed so many plants that it hurts just to think about.

I’m on a well, an old one. So unfortunately I dont water as I have too many gardens. New plants of course or if something looks in bad shape, but no coddling. Too many have repeatedly crisped up...and I gave them fair chances, so now they’re gone. Can’t fight Mother Nature...so only the strong can stay.

...and like jinx, our flying friends lessen here too.

No impact here other than my water bill as I hand water up to four hours a day when I do it all at one go.

And it doesn't increase my bill that much- normally it is $75 and excessive watering only increases it to $100 or so.

I'll pay $25 a month not to lose my gardens, no problem.

Even the year we seeded the lawn wasn't that horrible- we were then watering three times a day over a huge lawn. That summer the highest water bill of all was only $200.

I didn't spend all this money on plants just to let them die. Why would I spend $200 on a small tree from Conifer Kingdom and then get miserly when it's time to water it?

That makes no sense to me.

I get environmental water problems etc. etc. etc. but again, I didn't spend all this money on plants just to let them die. Until they shut down my local golf courses they can pound sand.

I'm not stopping until the water police make me and even when I lived in an area with restrictions I set my alarm and watered in the dead of night. I'm sneakier than they are and I have all the time in the world.

I LOVE hand watering. I have a light chair I drag around with me and it is a lovely time IMO.

I'm NOT stopping.

We have been in a prolonged drought here. I see many ailing mature trees when I'm out and about, but this has been over the course of the last few years. I am in Southern New Mexico, so we're used to low rainfall. I only plant low water usage trees, but they still need a drink sometimes.

Mature trees are in fact affected by drought. My tree lined street has become a street dotted with trees. People have stopped watering their lawns but often forget that their trees were being irrigated indirectly and now they receive no water whatsoever. The roots get stressed. When the rains come, the trees literally fall over, giant root balls and all. This happens every winter in drought prone areas. Mudslides are prevalent as the soil is lacking the healthy root systems that prevent erosion. Also, dead trees and brush in more rural, mountainous areas provide fuel. When we get dry lightning, we get forest and brush fires. This is not just a “higher water bill” issue, folks!

A $25 increase on the water bill in summer is no big deal. But that is not necessarily the situation everywhere. Here water usage is tied to a tiered billing system. The higher the tiered usage, the more you pay. Rates increase for the period of May through September to begin with but if you jump up to a tier 3 (the highest level) by excessive watering, you can expect a bill that is 3 times higher - or more - during the summer months.

Some people balk at paying $400+ water bills!!

@cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA) I'm in MoCo and we've had a decent amount of rain this year. Whether or not you get a thunderstorm depends on where the fronts line up. A slight move north or south can make a big difference. We had some really bad summers in the 80s and 90s. Much worse than anything since then. Really hot and dry. Temps hit 104 on some days. Lawns turned brown. I used to do landscaping back then and we cut lawns every week regardless if they needed it or not. I would catch more dirt than grass. The few lawns that had growing grass were watered. I can't imagine what the water bills on some of the large estates in Potomac must have cost. But if you have a swimming pool and tennis court, you probably don't care.

Large mature plants can handle drought better than small young plants, but everything has it's limits. I've seen large trees die from drought. It seems pines are more susceptible. Probably because they need water year round. Many trees will drop their leaves early if it's dry.

"Some people balk at paying $400+ water bills!!"

Of course. It's a luxury.

When I retired and started taking some of that hard fought retirement money out of savings I made a vow. I don't travel, I don't need expensive "things," but I value my garden above almost all else. My vow was that now that I was able I was going to water my garden as much as it needed regardless of the cost. This is my one luxury in life after SO many years that an increase of even $25 would have been a hardship...

Like I said, I didn't buy all this crap to not take care of it.

I'm not saying I don't think about water needs when choosing new plants now.

I try to congregate my "moisture lovers" in one general area so when one gets watered they all do. In my "dry" areas (actually anywhere I don't water faithfully) I do try to choose plants which will survive minus supplemental watering after establishment.

Thing is I add so many new things and am rearranging constantly, so I always have plants still in the establishment phase. So I'm walking around caring for them and them and think "Hmm, the hostas always appreciate a bit of extra water" so I give them some. Then "Ooh, looking dry over in the pet cemetery" and I go over there. And so on.

And of course this late in the season I am starting to let things go dormant if they want- the Dicentra are long gone, daylilies are looking sparse after I comb all the dead leaves out, and dear lord some of the raggedy hostas.

So I'll be out there today hitting new/recently moved with water and probably water them all.

And can we just mention regional differences?

When I lived in Miami everyone had irrigation or watered their gardens fairly regularly.

Since I moved back to rural Kentucky in '07 I have NEVER seen anyone other than myself watering a garden, ornamental OR food crops. I've seen one neighbor water potted plants with a jug, but I have never seen anyone drag a hose in 15 years. And my neighbors have large food crops- they work like the devil all spring plowing and planting and then just step back and let it play out.

Around here if it doesn't rain people just let things die.

I find that really weird.

mxk3 z5b_MI. Agree 100% A good root structure is also needed to survive the plants first winter. I only water trees or shrubs when first planted, forcing them to go deep and find their own water.