Flowers feel impact from the valley’s second summer drought

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - The current drought is affecting flowers across the valley. Gardeners say some plants, including younger trees, are at risk of withering away shortly after being in full bloom.

Erin Wright owns Quince & Burdock, a small cut flower farm in Staunton that provides bouquets to local stores. She mentioned it is important to keep an eye on your flowers while the forecast remains dry.

“Go out in the morning to see how they’re doing go out again in the evening to see how they’ve done during the day. A lot of times, they’ll transpire a lot of water out of their leaves, and they look completely different,” Wright said

Wright shared that she must now spend more time caring for the flowers she sells, due to the dry conditions. In light of extensive heat, gardeners like her know that sunflowers and celosia thrive in dry weather.

The Autumn season begins September 23, another change of weather impacting plants. According to Wright, adding a little more compost helps when tending to plants.