Where are you located? How much rainfall is normal in your area? (This year - here as well as many other areas - has been extremely dry so it’s been hard on a lot of things….)

We have no irrigation system, although when we started the garden 20 years ago we used soaker hoses in beds to get things established. After a couple of years, we stopped using them and relied on natural rainfall and planting things appropriate for the conditions in various garden areas. Only things planted in pots get watered regularly by hose; things planted in the ground are expected to survive on their own. For the most part, it works…! Things that die out are usually not replaced by the same thing - something that might be tougher is tried instead.

Experiment, experiment….!

What is this 'watering' of which you speak? Water falls from the skies.

Seriously, you start with where in the world you are. That tells you how much rain you can expect, and how much additional water should be applied to the types of plants you expect to grow. Where I live, weeping willows are a xeriscaping plant, if you define a xeriscaping plant as one that does not need additional water once established.

Western PA. Mother nature waters. Hanging baskets and window boxes get watered via a watering can when needed. Sprinkler system are rair.

Mother nature waters. Since I’m in southern California that means that a large portion of my garden is plants suited for a mediterranean climate. These are relatively dormant in the summer - either not growing, or not above ground at all. For plants that are less appropriate for my climate I hand water with a hose during the dry season. I figure that if I don’t like a plant enough to hand water it I shouldn’t have it.

I should clarify that I'm not really asking how to determine how much to water. Just curious how different people deal with the necessity of water. I am in the Pacific Northwest, and while we get our fair share of rain from the skies, during the summer it is very dry, we get less rain than Dallas TX, and most of the herbaceous perennials, roses and such need supplemental water, at least they do in my garden.

Any plant description that says "moist soil" or "Do not allow soil to dry out between waterings" is a deal-breaker for me, because I know that I will probably not be able to keep up with the demands of plants like that. SENIOR BALLOON: because I am forgetful, no doubt!

@violetsnapdragon is that because you choose not to water, or are you forgetful? :o)

I choose not to water and select plants accordingly.

I water my garden with a hose. I have no choice because it is essentially a container garden and must be watered...every day, in summer. I really do not like doing this and have plans for change under way.

I have access to a hose at the allotment, so I try to do a weekly watering of vegetables such as potatoes. However, the water is switched off for half of the year and there is a possibility that the city council (who own the land) may enact a hosepipe ban.

Mostly though, I only water plants until they are established and the rest of the time, I rely on rain...which is not much in my area. There are a great many plants I simply cannot (and will not) grow...but as there are still many I can grow, it isn't so onerous.

At the wood, I have no access to water apart from what I can dip from the land-drains...so I only sow or plant in autumn, relying on winter rains. I have consciously attempted to grow waterwise plants...as this last summer was a wake-up call - water is a precious finite resource. I have also transferred most of the pots to my allotment, where they can go into the ground, leaving me with 2 raised beds...so I will, I expect, still be watering the many smaller pots which I want to sell from my hopeful plant stall.

Cecile more or less stated my position, apart from seedlings or containerised plants.

I‘m on a well and water my gardens with a hose or drip irrigation; I still have multiple plants I am trying to get established, so I water when necessary. I have several friends who are on city water and don’t even garden anymore, as water costs have skyrocketed.

I collect and use rainwater. I use it for containers and the edible garden beds. Everything else does not get watered after it's established.

I am in the right plant in the right place camp. I am on a well and do not water but the last couple of years have been very hot and dry. Wet summer or dry some plants will be happy while others will suffer a bit. Most plants that suffer on a dry year display their displeasure by flowering for a shorter period.

No watering of ornametals except, occasionally, those in pots. I’m in the west of England so I get more rain than rosaprimula. We have taps at our allotments but are not allowed hosepipes. It’s a case of lugging cans. Luckily it’s not needed much except for seedlings and newly planted things. But the way things are going more and more watering will be needed. This last season was very dry.

I have always taken "right plant/right place" to refer to shade plants in the shade, sun lovers in the sun, as well as hardiness. No Mediterranean plants in Canada (or most of Canada), but I can see it can be taken another step and refer to what kind of conditions you can or want to provide, especially with regard to water. In the PNW we have a bipolar climate. Swamp in the winter and desert in the summer. We can have stretches of 40 or more days with no appreciable rainfall. I have plants in both sunny and shady locations that if I didn't water they would not be plants, they'd be compost.

Thanks to all for sharing your water stories.

I am amazed at how some established plants can survive without being watered by me. We only have about 10 inches of rain per year, and that is in October through April. I have an azalea. I haven’t watered it, or near it, in years. I don’t know where it gets moisture, but it is thriving. I don’t water my lavender or rosemary at all.

Shrubs definitely cope better. We have some rhodies that are planted in pretty full sun, previous owner, and they are outside my "designated" watering areas. A few years back we hit 100 on several days in a row and it was very warm, near 100 for several days. The leaf edges curled and browned up pretty good. They never flower much, so no idea if it impacted them that way, but they are looking OK this year.

My watering mostly focuses on herbaceous perennials and newly planted.

hey listen you need to stop

It is about that time of year for folks in some areas to start thinking about their watering plans in ernest.

" hey listen you need to stop "

What the heck does that mean??

Who or what is it we're stopping? :o)

I'm stopping in because I didn't reply the first time around ;0p

I hate watering. Absolutely HATE it. Always have. I follow the right plant right place motto and infrequently have to supplementally water in the beds once the plants are established with the exception of an area right off my deck that is smack under a large maple tree. The battery-powered retractable hose reel is on the deck so it's easy enough to set the sprinkler on the deck once a week or so to water that spot.

Trees and shrubs out on the property are on their own after their first season; I will trudge out there diligently for one season with a watering can to make sure they're off to a good start but that's it (too far to drag the hose).

What I do have to water regularly is anything in pots. Most of those are on the deck, and I can use the hose on the deck. Have a few pots out on the front walkway, I water those with a watering can -- I had the plumber add a water spigot in the front of the house. What kind of dodo builds a big house and plumbs only one spigot!?!?

The vegetable garden needs watering occasionally. I'm on old farmland, and it is a joy to work this soil -- it is moisture-retentive yet fast draining and very friable. Just beautiful, beautiful soil. Probably from a century or so of being passively manured and worked. So that means once the vegetable starts are established I don't have to water unless there's an unusually dry spell for 3-4 weeks. I drag the hose and connect it to a hose reel set up in the vegetable enclosure -- what did we do before quick connectors LOL!

I'm still trying to figure out the mini-orchard I'm working on establishing. The trees are still young, and I've been hand watering with a watering can if it's been dry. Most of the trees are well on their way to becoming fully established so I probably don't need to keep up on it anymore, but AFAIK fruit trees do require an abundance of water. This is a learning curve for me. I have hand pumps in the barn and next to the barn in the field, so it's not as bad as it sounds to hand water. Except I hate watering.

I love watering- it may be my favorite activity of all.

I hand water quite a large area. If I do all of the beds in the back yard it takes about four hours and that does NOT include lawn. If I did the back yard and the front portion of the house as well it would take five, but I never do both on the same day.

I am on city water and yes, it does increase my bill. BUT when I retired I promised myself I would water as much as I needed to water and to hell with anyone who took issue with it. I don't travel or buy cool clothing or have any other terribly expensive hobbies- this is my one luxury and I'm doing it. I didn't spend all this money on plants only to watch them suffer.

I have 200 feet of hose that I regularly drag and if it's very dry I might add another 100 to hit a few things outside my 'yard' in my little piece of 'woods.' I sing the Volga Boat Song to myself when I have to drag 300 feet of it back uphill, lol, but I reckon it's pretty good exercise.

I have lawn chairs strategically located throughout the garden and I've learned the sun's patterns and how to avoid it if it's hot and stay in it if it's cold.

This is when I get my good thinking done- me in a chair holding a hose staring into the beds- it's my happy place.

ˆI don't water anything here, except the outdoor containerized plants. NJ/Zone 7a/b, means Summer is usually pretty wet and HUMID. I refuse to water anything in the ground. Suck it up or DIE otherwise, snowflake.