j wrote:
On 10/21/2011 4:08 PM, David Hare-Scott wrote:
Matt_UniStudent wrote:
snip

The best answer is "When it is needed" which for any garden depends
on the time of year and weather. Look up 'evapotranspiration'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evapotranspiration

You had previously mentioned trimming back foliage to cut down on
water loss and that has gotten me thinking about my hydrangeas.

The Oak Leaf is well established and does well, but my regular old
hydrangea often has droopy leaves. It's in a shady protected spot with
little direct sun, and has been in for a few years, but this need for
water persists.

Should I thin it out, or do you have any other suggestions?


Hydrangeas love/need water. I don't grow them but they do need trimming
from time to time to keep them compact. If you do this at a time that
doesn't interfere with flowering you should get some improvement. Other
than that mulch heavily and avoid high nitrogen fertiliser that will put on
lots of soft leafy growth. Or replace them with a less water-needy shrub.

With water over 2 cents/gallon, I'm in a water conservation mode.

Jeff
Atlanta, Piedmont 7B

You could try capturing your roof water but to attempt to do a whole garden
you need to have large tanks/ponds and to rearrange your roof plumbing so it
may not be cost effective, particlaurly if you pay somebody to do it. The
common idea of running a downpipe into a 200 litre (50 gal US) drum is cheap
and appealing but only gives enough to water a few tubs or a *very* small
plot.

David