Common Topics:

Hand Watering verses Automatic Irrigation:

Any way you slice it; your landscape will need to be watered. By realistically looking at your watering scenario, you will give yourself the best chance for success.

Automatic: If you are one of the lucky ones with automatic irrigation, count your blessings. I have noticed a tremendous difference in my newer beds that we put lines down for verses the ones I have to “remember” to water.
However...there are some tidbits of info I would like to pass on to you about auto irrigation.

• DO NOT let a contractor or landscaper talk you into only one or two zones for your whole yard.

Spend the money up front to properly zone each bed or add drip lines to accommodate certain plant material.

• Plant your beds not only according to the amount of light the area gets, but the amount of water each plant will need to survive. A plant that needs a lot of water to survive placed to one that needs very little, will only lead to one plant being miserable while the other one is happy.
• Realizing that there is a watering hierarchy in your landscape for each plant will help lead to success.
• Missed edges....keep in mind a lot of auto irrigation systems either over shoot their intended targets of miss some of the edges. Keep a hose handed for those missed edges. Death and destruction can lead to disease and mayhem in your garden.

Watering by hand:
I still do a great deal of watering by hand. It is something I used to practice all the time in my nursery and still do it in my yard each day. By hand watering you see the conditions of your plants each day. You know each and every little nuance about the plant; when it is in trouble or when it is just happy by showing you it’s beautiful characteristics. It is by far the best was to stay in touch with your garden.

However, I am sure you are just like me...busy beyond belief, so a quick water has to happen sometimes instead of a good solid soak.
If this sounds familiar, then you should choose plants that can withstand the up and down cycle of your life. Buying a “needy” plant can be problematic. Look for the sturdy drought resistant plants that will be forgiving of your busy schedule.

*One great thing about hand watering is the ability to control the amount of water to each plant. This can broaden your scope of plant material that you can use, making for quite a nifty look.