We are in better shape here in the Piedmont than we were; but, we still are in a drought b/c the groundwater levels still need to catch up. I know I need a rain barrel; but, we have several indoor projects going on in the new house. (and a little at a time as not to go in the poorhouse) So do I really need to water daily? I don't want to kill anything (especially my late daughters Iceberg Rose) but I want to conserve. I'll have to get that barrel by spring! I'd think my watering needs with fall/winter would probably decrease? Then make a goal to have it by then at latest.

Faced w/a severe drought six or so years back (which prompted my purchase of that rainbarrel, btw), I had to decide water-choice priorities.

Being on well water, my first priority, naturally, was in-house use. Then came the garden. Since we don't water the lawn, but depend on Mother Nature, that was not of concern. Any annuals got short shrift and were left on their own to go to that Great Annual Heaven In The Sky.

But my perennials (like your treasured iceberg rose) that have 'been with me' for years and years...that presented harder choices. Basically, I had to select which ones that IMO were irreplaceable. In fact, life would go on w/o any of them, but I wanted to try my best to save some, yet not waste precious water.

So, too, you have to make those decisions. Select those that you truly feel are irreplaceable or mean the most to you and water them ONLY when the soil feels dry. Stick your finger in the ground. Don't just go by droopy leaves. Some plants do that naturally. Doesn't mean they necessarily need watering. Only water at the base or rootzone of the plant.

Also, after a good soaking, pile on the mulch to preserve that good soak. You might also consider pruning back (even though they're in bloom) some of them. More blooms and more growth means the plant has to provide more moisture and, consequently, will need more watering. You can eliminate or lessen that need by pruning & cutting back.

If drought conditions still exist when fall and/or cooler temps arrive, the procedures I mentioned should still be applicable. Just because it's cooler, if the ground is still dry, they're still under stress.

Other than those suggestions based on my own experience w/this problem, I can only offer you the best of luck with your garden and your in-house projects.

Ok, gotcha. I think a fellow gardener waters daily and I was wondering if my fellow OGers had a more eco friendly method. When the soil is dry....okay! I don't water grass either and thank God He will do it the next few days as we get reminants from Fay.

Send some of that rain up my way. BTW: The only thing I may water each day are containers. But, like I said, in times of declared drought, they're on their own.

Roses, "once established," are usually pretty drought-tolerant. Ours get very little additional water. In the summers, I'm thinking they get hit by the sprinklers every four or five days at most.

Improving your soil condition will improve its ability to retain whatever water you are able to give things.

Ditto everything Linda says about pruning conservatively and mulching, and also, about drooping: many plants droop automatically so that they aren't exposing the entire surface of their leaves to the sunlight. They're conserving energy, if you will. Too much water when they're in this state can actually be trouble.

OK! Well, what do you mean once established? I think about some roses in the front that I inherited and the iceberg I got for mother's day in memory of my two children. I haven't planted it yet....I've been clearing b/c the yard was overgrown and trying to find a spot and the mosquitoes have been so bad this year they have discouraged me from wanting to spend too much time out there til fall. Those come and go and as I'm learning I've done nothing to them except dead head this year. I assuming those are pretty established. I don't know how long there were there before I got here; but, they are pretty large.

How can I improve my soil? A composter that the town is selling now is on my list too....

And pruning? That's deadheading and cutting back? Should I be using a special tool for that?

To answer your original question, how often you water depends on your soil. I ran across an article that says, for a loam soil (which includes any heavuly mulched soil BTW) you need about 3-4 hours of watering, with a soaker hose (or drip irrigation) roughly every 4-5 days. Sandy soils need more and clay soils need less (some a lot less).

As for the mosquito problems, eat at least a tablespoon of dried powdered sage in your food for about a week and the mosquitoes won't bother you near as much. It's an old Indian cure that actually works. The sage in your system lowers the ph of your sweat to the point that mosquitoes can't land on you without injuring themselves. You just have to keep eating sage during mosquito season and they leave you alone. It works for me.

Wonder if I can do the caps....I did caps after our stillbirth this winter to dry up my breastmilk. I still have a bit left over. That's cool! I know pennyroyal and basil are good too. I need to make sure that I get some more (than just the one basil plant in my garden) and plant it around my backyard.

The rain is great; but, I'm sure that's not helping with the decrease in the mosquito population!

As Bill stated how much you have to water depends on your soil. If you have a soil with sufficient levels of organic matter and you properly mulch you will not need to water nearly as often as someone with little, or no, OM in the soil that does not mulch. Wise water use can also involve drip irrigation or using soaker hoses instead of an overhead sprinkler.
In the planting beds I have, very well draining sand too, with adequate levels of OM in the soil and the 6 inch thick mulch need watering about every two weeks while others not that well prepared need watering every 5 days sometimes when it is really hot and windy. You need to know your soil and what it does with the water that goes in it.

Regardless of whether you have terrific soil, good soil, poor soil, or somewhere inbetween, there's a ridiculously easy way to tell when you need to water.

Just stick your finger into the soil a few inches deep around your plants. If the soil is still moist a few inches down, watering can wait. If it's dry, it's time to water.

And when you water, don't think you're saving water by just sprinkling. Water DEEPLY - like until the soil is moist at least 6 inches down (again - test with that good old tool, your finger!).

Well meaning and helpful responses here, but I think some are missing blessed's original question. If I interpreted it correctly, it wasn't "watering practices in general", it was "watering in the reality of drought or water restrictions". I assumed she wanted to know what really needs watering and how often just to keep them afloat so to speak.

All well and good to improve the soil and install drip irrigation for next season. But I believe she's talking triage watering for right now. That's why the finger-in-the-soil test, as I suggested and which Sue and Breezy agreed, is the single best indicator of what really needs watering.

Blessed, when I mentioned pruning back, in this instance it's more than just deadheading. Even more than light pruning. Under dire circumstances and if it's a matter of the plant's overall survival, I'd cut back by at least 1/3. Yes, it may very well interfere w/next year's bloom depending on the plant or shrub. Some plants don't mind a late season shearing. But others are just now sporting next year's buds, so that's why you might lose bloom for next season by doing that pruning. But at least you'll have saved the plant to fight and bloom another day.

Depending on the thickness of the branches/stems, all you need is a good pair of sharp, clean, disinfected pruners or lopers.

Yes, I want to conserve and the restrictions have eased from our severe drought; but, we are still in a moderate drought. My ultimate plan is a rain barrel; but, until I get around to getting that after some *indoor* projects that need attention, I'd like to know really how often I need to water. There was some hope for rain and I kept waiting and then at the end of the week I watered. It made me nervous because I thought I might end up killing something, especially my white rose.

Disinfected? I have a lot to learn.....