Round Robin: Death by Drowning

DENVER, Colorado—In the West, ­especially in Colorado, the traditional response to high temperatures is to turn on the hose. It’s my theory that more plants perish by drown­ing than by drought, which seems an odd paradox in our semiarid climate. Overwatering is an easy trap to fall into: we judge our herbs’ needs by our own thirst. We feel pity for our poor plants that droop under the midday sun, so we pour on the water and kill them with kindness. In the clay soil characteristic of our region, overwatering can mean waterlogged soil, rot, and quick death. Especially vulnerable are drought-loving thymes, pinks, oreganos, horehounds, sages, and lavenders.

Herb gardeners who have learned the benefits of water-smart gardening group plants according to their cultural needs. I water only those that need it, like basil and parsley. Many traditional culinary herbs that evolved in the sun-baked Mediterranean region need little watering once they’re established. I place them in a sunny spot with native herbs such as silver sage (Artemisia ­frigida) and coyote mint (Monardella odoratissima) and give them supplemental moisture only under dire circumstances, such as a month of searing temperatures under a cloudless sky.

People who have never visited Colorado can more readily picture the snowdrifts’ melting and the bears’ coming out of hibernation than they can Denver’s summer heat. Gardeners who transplant themselves to the Mile-High City eventually discover the pleasures and trials of gardening where the sun shines abundantly, the humidity is extremely low, and the average annual rainfall is 14 inches. Forget perky hair and moist skin. Welcome to the “Denver dries”.