Bonita Springs nursery battles extreme drought, plants dying from lack of rain

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. (WINK)—Southwest Florida is facing its worst drought in 25 years as dry conditions continue to intensify across the region.

Local nurseries are feeling the strain as plants struggle to survive without consistent rainfall. At Sanjuan Family Nursery in Bonita Springs, owner Areli Sanjuan said the lack of rain means constant attention to keep plants alive.

"It's so crazy, but if you really pay attention, you can see your flowers sad, like they kind of almost weep over them, and then they kind of start hanging," Sanjuan said. "They look really sluggish. You'll see the leaves starting to curl, but those are kind of like the top telltale signs."

The drought has forced the nursery to water plants in the early morning and again at night just to keep up with the heat. Some plants haven't made it through the dry spell.

"They honestly just had to be thrown away," Sanjuan said. "And when it comes to regrowing them to kind of be ready for sale, you kind of get backtracked a lot now with the drought."

WINK Weather Authority Meteorologist Katie Walls explained why this year's drought feels different. Southwest Florida entered the dry season already a foot below average rainfall, and conditions only worsened from there.

"We were receiving maybe about 40% of our average rainfall during the dry season," Walls said.

A comparison of drought maps shows the severity. All of Southwest Florida is currently in the extreme red zone, while this time last year, most of the region was in severe drought, with only Bonita Springs and Naples in extreme.

The path to recovery won't be quick. Walls said the region needs significant rainfall to catch up.

"We need 19 inches to catch up," Walls said. "We're talking more than a foot and a half."

Walls added that conditions might not improve significantly until later in June. Back at the nursery, Sanjuan remains hopeful for relief.

"We are hoping to get some rain in the mix, kind of get some wetness to kind of lift up that hotness in the humidity, and more than anything, just trying to take care of our plants as best as we can," Sanjuan said.