10 clever ways to conserve water in your garden

Gardens can still flourish under hot and dry conditions without blistering your budget. How? With a few easy-to-follow techniques that save water. Here are 10 water-wise ways to help your garden survive and thrive when water is scarce.

Place mulch around plants. It conserves moisture and keeps plant roots cooler.

• Fine mulch (like evergreen needles) can be spread as little as 2.5 centimetres (one inch) thick; coarser mulch (such as wood chips) should be applied at least eight centimetres (three inches) thick.

Water deeply and less often instead of more frequent, shallow watering.

• Thorough watering encourages plants to grow deep, in turn producing water-seeking roots that can gather moisture from a larger area than short, shallow roots can.

Water early in the morning, when less water evaporates, to leave more for the plants' roots.

Use soaker hoses vs. regular garden hoses.

• Soaker hoses send water slowly and directly to the soil, allowing plants to absorb more moisture. That also translates into less water evaporation and run-off. Drip-irrigation systems accomplish the same things but cost more.

Add organic matter to the top 30 centimetres (12 inches) of soil.

• This increases the soil's ability to hold water.

Use drought-tolerant plants to reduce watering needs.

• Your local garden centre or home improvement store can make recommendations for your hardiness zone.

Group together plants with similar watering needs.

• This grouping reduces the likelihood of wasting water on neighbouring plants that don't need it. (To impress your friends, the technical term for this is "hydrozoning.")

Build sunken – not raised – garden beds.

• Sunken beds help to collect water and also provide a small amount of precious shade.

Use rain barrels to collect otherwise lost rainfall. (Check your local municipal rules for restrictions.)

Know your soil type, as it will help dictate watering patterns to avoid wasteful water run-off. For instance:

• It's senseless to heavily water clay-based soils, which generally can absorb water at only about 1/2 centimetre (1/4 inch) per hour. Instead, water until you see run-off occur, then wait an hour or so before resuming watering to allow moisture to soak into the soil.

As a rule of thumb, you should water your lawn and gardens long enough to moisten the top 10 to 15 centimetres (four to six inches) of soil.

• For trees and shrubs, about 23 to 30 centimetres (9 to 12 inches) should do it.

Short of digging holes throughout your yard, how can you tell if you've watered enough?

• Before you start watering, set out a rain gauge or a shallow, straight-sided can. When there's 2.5 centimetres (one inch) of water collected, it's time to move on to another area.