A few hints:

1. Do NOT fertilize the plants!

2. If water restrictions are lifted, don't try to make up for months of deprivation by overwatering. Too much water is also stressful.

Just gradually increase the watering (water deeper, not more often) for the next several weeks until the plants have recovered.

And get ready for the next one ... this is NOT the first drought that has hit the East Coast in my lifetime, and they are always surprised when it happens, place water restrictions too late, and resume their water-wasting habits as soon as they can.

Well now lazygardens - as a native East Coaster myself, I would say that you shouldn't generalize about "they" (who is they?) being "surprised" by a drought. Yes there have been a number of droughts here over the years... But you need to seriously take into consideration the geography and topography of the East Coast, which is about as different from the West as it is from Mars. The Atlantic Ocean is right there at our doorstep, and its effects in this area are quite dramatic. The fact that right now, the water temperature of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of New Jersey is in the mid-70s (which is normal for this time of year), yet the Pacific Ocean water temperature off the coast of Southern California is in the mid-50s (which is also normal for this time of year), should make one take pause. The climate of the U.S. is not as simple as you make it. The propaganda about "sunny warm" California and the west, with surfers on the beach, is a big myth that people continue to perpetuate over and over and over again. They myth that it never freezes in the desert is yet another myth that continues to play out (why is there a "Zone 5" in New Mexico?). It's alot of B.S. and many people are being deceived by whatever B.S. is being perpetuated about the East Coast and its climates and how we deal with it.

This side of the continent is much older, is dotted with many hills and valleys forming interesting microclimates, and is within target range of coastal storms such as Nor'easters, Hurricaines, and blizzards, depending on the season. Our average seasonal rainfall - whether it comes evenly throughout the year, or with up to 1/3rd from a single Tropical storm, is ~40". My state alone has more rivers than any other state in the union. The coast itself and many sections inland are below sea level. The fact that the New Jersey beaches have been continually eroding away due to these coastal storms; is an indication that drought conditions, although happening every so often, are NOT the norm for climate extremes here. More often than not, we get the complete opposite - too much water at once..

The thing that concerns me is not so much the introduced alien plants, but the natives themselves. Yes they have adapated over centuries, but the climate has changed here. Not so much with rainfall or lack thereof, but temperature-wise. And so there is a steady migration of more southern plants, a creep if you will, into this area, as the climate has become more conducive to them. Meanwhile, the more cold-hardy plants that were native here, are suffering and end up creeping further north into a better environment for them. Such is the way of evolution...

As for our plants recovering from this, whether we manually irrigate or not, the chance of a large rain system coming in off the ocean will be the deciding factor that the plants will have to deal with - whether native or not. There are native American Sycamores here that are dropping leaves like mad because of the extended periods of mid-upper 90s and little rain. As natives, they have the potential to die, either before or after some deluge, and there's nothing we can do about it. And many people have seriously considered planting drought-tolerant plants, which is a noble effort. But this effort can ultimately fail if a hurricaine like Floyd that came through here a couple years ago with 12" of rain in the city, decides to make an appearance this fall.

Jenny -
I used to live in Virginia, and in DC. During that time, there was a drought. The local and state politicians went through the same hand-wringing and lack of concrete action that they are doing now, 20+ years later. They waited until the reserves were almost gone before restricting water use, and never put any serious water conservation practices into place for the next one.

There's a Zone 5 in New Maxico because it's DANGED COLD at high elevations ... here it's the altitude that determines temperature more than the latitude. I've never heard that it doesn't freeze in the desert: it occasionally snows here (which makes national news), and a hard freeze wipes out a lot of plants. It's all reported on the national weather channels, as is the occasional 122° day.

Yes, the Pacific is cold this time of year: that's why the surfers are on the BEACH (or in the water in wetsuits).

LOL. Thing is - the info you mention isn't general knowledge. And you have to consider that unless you're a weather geek (like myself) or have been there, the average person doesn't pay much attention to the weather channels (unless disaster is imminent). And it's funny but how many times do you see California and surfers in "wet suits"? Very few times I might add. Fictional TV shows like "Baywatch" continue to perpetuate this sortof "warm sunny beach" crap. Here you have a show FILMED IN HAWAII that is "supposed" be taking place in Santa Monica/L.A. California. There's no way in h*11 that anyone could do what that show projected, in that state. And this is just one example.

I have read many many many posts on these forums from people living in areas out west that do get freezes, yet they deny it until you point out dates and times... ;-). I guess that's why the Sunset system of Zoning is really the best way to go because climate is more than temperature. As I understand, the USDA is coming out with a new map this fall under contract with the AHS to supposedly take into account more environmental factors than average lowest (freak) temperatures.

And I think the problem with Virginia and Maryland is that there are alot of non-natives, as in PEOPLE, living there who are clueless about the climate. Many are there to support the federal government infrastructure (mostly politicians, their staff, and many many many contractors). And those who leave that fed infrastructure and end up staying to dabble in the local politics, are lost when it comes to planning and the weather.

The thing is that when times get like this, people tend to want to make radical changes (or no changes) in their environment and routines and I believe the key is that you can't be black and white on this issue. One needs to certainly plan for the "rainy (or rainless) day", but you have to really take a look at the natural ebb and flow of the climate over time... All VA needs is one year when the weather is abnormally rainy (I remember 2000 was like that here), and all of the "drought talk" (and planning) goes out the window.

We have been on drought restrictions for 3 years. Water
2 days a weeks 4 am till 8 am if you had sprinklers.
Without them it was still 2 days a week, but at better times.

Our drought ended about 53 days ago when the rain started.
We have been flooded with 1 or 2 inches a day.
Water sits on top of sand. I used a sump pump running
all day long just to get in the driveway. The run was
about 160 feet back near where the lake begins. Lake in
back growing closer to house, driveway flooded. Plants not
happy.

I kind of felt sorry for myself but then I looked at what
others are going through (all over the world) and got over
the pity me.

But,
we now have had 2 days of sunshine and everything is
drying out a little. It will not take long to dry here and
the plants I love so much are still alive.

I hope all of you with drought get rain and all of you with
floods get relief, too.

Durham has been in an official drought for the last 5 years. This is the first year water restrictions were mandatory. You're right- too little, too late. And they're still paving every inch of ground so that the precious water goes into the storm drains instead of the groundwater. Next spring, everyone will be watering their stupid grass just like this spring, then complain that we're out of water again.

BTW, get used to climatic extremes. Global warming is here and it's wreaking havoc on everyone.

New Mexico has zone 5 and zone 4 as well. There is not a lot of desert, but plenty of high and low mesa, mountains and foothills. Arizona has similar land forms aside from the actual deserts in southern Arizona. I live in a mountain area in New Mexico (at 7200 feet) that is much like Flagstaff which is almost 7000 feet elevation. The sunset zones list Flagstaff as a zone 1 and my area as zone 2, but I am convinced that the Sunset editors paid far more attention to the coastal areas than the interior microclimates that cover the states like Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and the like. I am convinced that every state has many microclimates and state engineers and climatologists would do well to work out state wide maps with careful mapping of the variations and range of climate possibilities. This is not unlike what Permaculture Designers do when working out designs for sustainable landscapes.

Drought is one of the bigger challenges (along with economic balance, social balance, soil loss, GE foods and various acts of war) that we (the country, the world) will face in the next several hundred years. How we use our water must be examined. What good to have lawns if there is not water in the aquifer to drink and grow food in 20 years.

Last night it got down to 34 degrees and I expect a freeze soon. Anyone in zone 5 getting that cold right now?

Fireraven9
Gutta cavat lapidem (Dripping water hollows out a stone) - Ovid

Don't know about zone 5 but zone 4 is a lot warmer than that right now. Night time temps have been in the 60's and we've been having a "cold" august.

The altitude here makes the season short and extreme. The frost free season can be 90 days or less and as long as 120 days. There is no such thing as a classic zone 4 or 5 or whatever. I have a friend in Colorado who lives at 9000 feet and may get 60 days frost free, but not always. She is in zone 4 and I am sure her first frost has already happened.

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. - R. Combe Miller

You havent begun.

China, water table 200ft below 1980 levels
a river that used to support heavy shipping, no longer
empties into ocean.

Places in US the water table is 50ft below 1980 levels.

Other places in the world water tables are 100ft below 1980
survey.

I think were in trouble.