Watering

Last night I watered the cactus wall, succulent slope and bamboo - my usual weekly time spent standing in the storm drain ditch!

I have been pondering the water situation recently. It's always been my hope to have a garden that doesn't rely on water, as we have a bit of a shortage going on. However, I have looked around at other gardens and realize that many gardens (private and public) are watered quite often. They get to have some pretty cool plants as a result!

I've also seen how roasting hot it can get at P. Garden, compared to other gardens, and how even supposedly drought tolerant plants look a bit rough without any water during the summer.

So, my plan is to have a compromise. Next year I hope to have the water sprinklers come on once a week during the summer for a real soaking. This will promote deeper, stronger root systems. I'll continue to regretfully reject plants that need lots of water, and move plants that need a bit more to areas that are more sheltered and hold water better. It will be a bit of a shake-out, with some plants not making it I expect. I envision a plant sale in Spring with lots of Cannas in pots available!

The hand-watered areas (cactus wall, succulent slope, bamboo area) will only get watered every other week then - they should be well established. That'll take a couple hours a week off my schedule, and reduce my time spend wrestling with the hateful hose.

How often do you water your garden, and where do you live? Tell me what you think!