Koehler, McNerney quoted in Press Herald column on gardening during drought
Glen Koehler, an associate scientist with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, and Kathleen “Kookie” McNerney, a home horticulture coordinator with UMaine Extension, were interviewed for an article in the Portland Press Herald “Maine Gardener” column. The article focused on what gardeners can do to deal with drought conditions. This summer marks the second consecutive year coastal Maine has dealt with a shortage of rain, according to the article. But cooler weather has tempered the severity of this year’s drought, Koehler said. “The temperature this year been a little below average,” he said. “And moisture stress is highly affected by higher temperatures.” Established lawns, herbaceous perennials, shrubs and trees are not going to die as a result of the so-far-moderate drought that we have had this season, the article states. “We tell people they should do what they want, based on their comfort level,” McNerney said of her recommendations to home gardeners. Yes, the lawn will go brown and dormant, but it will green up again if we have fall rains, McNerney said.