"B. Midler" wrote in message
. net...
I'm growing in Zone 5 and my roses are mostly on the shadelses south side.
This area had watering restrictions last year, but by and large I was able
to water once a week. This year it looks as if all watering of lawns and
ornamentals is going to be prohibited from the beginning.

The soil is in fair shape, never great on that south exposure. There is
about 3 inches of permanent organic mulch. I'll use what gray water I can,
but the number of roses exceeds my supply. Any suggestions?


Hello B. Midler

Three words: Water Polymer Crystals. This was a dry,
dry summer in Oregon and the roses were showing the stress.
We ordered some crystals, made some little scratching noises
about a foot away from the center of each hole, tried hard not
to disturb the roots, and added about 1 cup of re-hydrated
crystals to each hole. Covered the whole mess with the soil
and the mulch and put next to it the dripping hoses. We
didn't lose any roses this year. If you want to get really fancy
add some water soluble food to the re-hydrating water and
you have a mild feeding system there. We used them also
in our big pots and never had any problems even during
the second coming these past weeks.

Good drainage helps, but it is nice to know that there is
something moist down by the roots. I have seen people
around here shred newspapers and wet them well and then
add them before the mulch. Since we already have lasagna beds,
it doesn't do much for us but maybe it would work for you.
Good luck,

Allegra
in an almost dry Portland, Oregon