LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Keeping plants alive is not always an easy task— but for Krista Quinn, gardening has always been a lifelong passion.
Quinn is a horticulturist in Faulkner County for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
"My mom always gardened, and so I grew up around it," Quinn said. "Decided that I really liked it, and I was good at it, so I ended up majoring in that in college."
While gardening can already be difficult if you lack a green thumb, this stretch of brutal heat and lack of rain has made things even harder.
"It's a difficult time to be a gardener and even just to manage a home landscape," Quinn said.
This heat isn't only detrimental to your plants, it could also raise your monthly water bill.
"This year, we're having it more in July, and unfortunately, that is harder for our plants to handle," she said.
Keeping plants watered isn't a cheap expense, whether it be your lawn or the flowers in your garden— especially if there are a lot of them.
Benton Utilities General Manager David Vondran said that the hot weather has drastically increased the demand and need for water from them.
"The most effective method of conserving water by our customers has been reducing the use of lawn irrigation. Reducing the watering schedule from daily to anything less frequently has profound results," Vondran explained.
At The Good Earth Garden Center, gardeners are also trying to address any issues you may have.
They recommend talking with an expert before planting to make sure that your plants will thrive.
"If you aren't watering your lawn, and it goes brown right now, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's dying," Quinn said. "It's gone dormant because that's a strategy that turf grass is using to deal with the drought."
If your garden is already sweating under the summer sun, Quinn said the best thing you can do is just be patient.
"I think it's just, you know, being strong, and you know, sticking with it and not giving up on your landscape plants," Quinn said.