Last week, we had beautiful spring weather, but it’s drying up now. The low humidity, southwest winds, and lack of rain have dried the soil surface. By midweek, large containers of spring flowers need watering every two days, while ground beds require watering once a week. Hanging baskets are on automatic watering every other day.

My renovated front yard still has winter weeds growing. These weeds helped prevent erosion over winter and should soon die off due to the heat. Common Bermuda grass is thriving and will fill in the lawn over the summer. On the other hand, the rest of the lawn with St. Augustine grass didn’t grow much in a week. This is partly because it’s just starting to green up and the soil is dry.

The lawn also needs fertilizer, but I’ll wait for some rain before applying it. Native birds are actively feeding and drinking from the pond, as most drainage ditches are dry. Fortunately, there’s still enough moisture around the mayhaw and mulberry trees to keep their fruit ripening.  There is a fire conditions warning to the north of this area.