Well evergreens, particularly broad-leaf ones like rhodies, azalea, kalmia, pieris, aucuba, buxus, myrtles, laurels, etc., tend to experience the brunt of winter drought on top of drying/dessicating winds. These are the plants to really look after during winter, making sure they get some type of moisture when the temps permit it.

Winter drought happens at least one out of 3 years where I live. It is still cold at night (often well below zero) and sunny in the day with periods (weeks sometimes) of daytime temperatures rising well above 32 degrees and the freeze thaw cycle is harsh on trees and plants. They will need watering when the weather is like that. Mulch helps too.

Fireraven9
Fairest of the months! Ripe summer's queen
The hey-day of the year
With robes that gleam with sunny sheen
Sweet August doth appear. -Â Â R. Combe Miller

It's the same here, Firehaven. Actually, we are entering the 4th drought winter if this drought continues. Winter watering is crucial here and mulch essential. We have the benefit of snow melting really quickly here but the curse of no (snow) insulation and wild temp changes. A 30 or 40 or 50 degree fluxuation in temps 2x a day is not unusual. I always winter water.

I've found that winter is just as brutal as summer. There has been no snow cover here for the past three winters, and the effect was dramatic. Junipers kicked the bucket. Well-established shrubs (potentillas, artctic willow, red barberry) in a well-mulched bed died too. The only wildflower perennials that made it were Mexican Hats and Blue Flax, which I now completely respect as industrial-strength flowers.

Here's what I learned. Water once a month unless there is snow on the ground. Water in the morning so the water has a chance to soak into the ground. Pine trees, in particular, are vulnerable to drying out. The junipers need a drink, too. Some people apply a waxy spray, an anti-dessicant, to their plants. I don't use it, however. Too much fuss, and I've heard it's will take the blue color away from my dwarf blue spruce.

Turf lawns also need a drink, particularly if there is no snow cover, warmer temps (40's daytime) and winds. People should, believe it or not, water their dormant, brown-ugly bluegrass lawns once a month in winter. (Yet another reason not to plant bluegrass lawns!) In extremely dry situations, the turf roots can dry up and die. If you have to water outside in winter, don't overdo it. Just a little water will go a long way. I sure wished I had watered. I would have saved some money and a lot of time and digging.

Rosa, how often do you water in the winter? I have a balcony garden in Denver, and I have to winter water. I was thinking about once a month, which is what I did last year. That was too much for some but not enough for others.

Kind of interesting reading this thread, the only kind of drought we get is winter drought since that's the only time we get any precipitation whatsoever.

revclaus - If the temps stayed in the 40s, I watered my shrubs and daylilies about every other week. The bulbs got water maybe once a month along with the irises. If it happened to snow on the containers by the rail, they didn't get manual watering that week.

I have been told to water here in CO about every 3-4 weeks, esp on the new plants if we haven't had any significant rain/snow fall (which fits us lately!!

I think a lot the plants get sunscalded and windburn here in CO as it is so dry, esp in a drought winter.

I lost two holly bushes and 2 arborvitaes last winter. The nursery said they probably died of sunscald and windburn. NEver again will I plant those, esp if I lost 2 of the same thing.

I have never watered my bluegrass during teh winter, but it could be a good idea esp as it took a while to come back this spring after such a dry winter.

I hope this drought ends soon, but I am not hopeful!

revclaus
same watering as a jenny_in_SE_PA. I will say tho that my containers (1/2 whiskey barrels) only get watered every 3 weeks or so during the winter-they seem to stay wetter longer.

Melissa
Go ahead and water that bluegrass 2x a month as well as the rest of the garden especially this year. You'll be amazed at the results.

Wish I had known about this last year (we had a super dry winter), but that explains why we lost alot of perennials. It surely didn't get too cold this winter in PA, but it was horribly dry. I guess the poor plants just dried up.

Wish we could get some moisture here in Colorado for the drought. I live in Eastern Colorado. I water my trees all through the winter, temperature permitting. I think that the way the weather is, trees and lawn are very likely to get winter-kill during this drought that we are in. I also feel that watering during the winter helps promote root growth which in return gives you better top growth in the spring. I do a deep soaking on each tree. Probably 15-20 gallons of water a month.