My "Anecdotal" Report on the Summer of 2023 in San Antonio
Submitted by Jay Collins
During the summer of 2023, San Antonio had historic high temps (74 days of 100+, 105 days in a row above 90 degrees) and a historic drought. During the months of July and August we were gone from our home. Our wildscaped yard received no supplemental water during this time (we have no sprinklers or sprinkler system). Below is a report on how our most common native plants handled these conditions:
During the summer of 2023, San Antonio had historic high temps (74 days of 100+, 105 days in a row above 90 degrees) and a historic drought. During the months of July and August we were gone from our home. Our wildscaped yard received no supplemental water during this time (we have no sprinklers or sprinkler system). Below is a report on how our most common native plants handled these conditions:
Plants that did well (all survived; no visible signs of stress):
- Evergreen sumac
- Condalia (Brasil)
- Elbow bush
- Live oak
- Mountain laurel
- Cedar elm
- Agarita
- Monterrey Oak
- Texas persimmon
- Anacacho orchid
- Anacua
- Escarpment oak
Plants that survived, but showed signs of stress:
- Wafer ash
- Texas snowbells
- Possumhaw
- Pigeonberry
- Cedar sedge
- Cherry laurel
- American Beautyberry
Plants that mostly survived, some died, survivors looked stressed:
- Salvia Greggi
- Coralberry
- Yaupon holly
Plants that did not make it (all or almost all died):
- Rusty Blackhaw Viburnum
- Carolina buckthorn
For the most part, my experience seemed to mirror expectations based on the Austin tree vulnerability chart from the 2020 USDA “Vulnerability Assessment of Austin’s Urban Forest and Natural Areas.” This report on the effects of climate change in our area was presented at our February 2023 San Antonio NPSOT chapter meeting and is a helpful resource for selecting native plants.
I hope you will find this information helpful in selecting native plants for your yard that can tolerate our evolving climate and need to reduce landscape watering. If you have questions or want to visit my yard, contact Jay Collins (210-930-6932).
NOTE: The SAWS Garden Style newsletter published an article by Brad Wier on a similar topic – about native and adapted plants that were challenged by the extreme weather shifts. Read that article, “Landscape lessons: From frightening to flourishing” here and take their survey on how your plants are doing!