Water Wise Gardening

With thousands of plants including trees, shrubs, and perennials tucked into twelve gardens, the key to keeping them adequately watered is scheduling. I use the Excel program to keep the gardens on an every-fourth-day schedule; the gardens are labeled by their predominant planting. All but two gardens are on soaker hoses, so by just barely having the water on, I can leave it to run overnight, and the garden is thoroughly watered by the next morning. Regardless of windy conditions, the water is delivered right to the soil where it's needed. This system also keeps water off the flowers which keeps them happier and blooming much longer. The back lawn is on a programmable timer to run with two-twenty minute cycles at night. The three-tiered design includes flat surfaces with two short transitions. We installed a water meter to measure water use from the well and typically use 25,000 gallons through July and again in August. While newly planted (this season) plants require more frequent watering to succeed, we feel a thorough soaking, applied on a regular schedule through the heat of summer works best.