Should I water MORE in the morning? Typically that garden is on it's own when it comes to watering and is a very vibrant garden - HOWEVER - the golf course NORMALLY only needs to water once a week at most.

This is a shot of it last year late July (when it NORMALLY gets it all going at once)

I feel like I'm just not getting it and don't understand your question at all. It sounds like you're saying you don't want the golf course sprinklers on your plants, but ask about adding more water? Going to check if I accidentally bought decaf...

May I ask, what are the dark purplish spiky things sticking up in the middle of the pic (back of the bed from this angle?)

However, is that small amount per day actually soaking in to any depth and doing any good before it evaporates? I think the only way to tell is to stick your finger in the soil or dig a few inches down and see if the soil is moist.

Kevin

Over the past several years, I've been trying to teach this neighbor the gardening tricks. She really knows nothing about plants or gardening, but wants to transform her yard into something filled with flowers. We put down a thick mulch on her beds (which is good) however, when she waters, she only waters long enough to darken the mulch. I've tried to tell her that small amount of water isn't getting through the mulch down to the soil. I've even pulled the mulch away after she's watered to show her how dry the soil still is.

Alas, it hasn't done any good. She continues to water the same way.

Kevin

I think the fungus is my real worry - as some lilies are getting black or dieing leaves on the bottom and moving up.

Another possible route to go if they won't play nice would be to complain to your local code enforcement or, if you have one, your water drainage board or environmental quality dept. and see if they could help you.

Basically, though, it should be just an adjustment of a sprinkler or two that should take a couple of minutes for them, so they should comply.

Wow! That pic is absolutely amazingly beautiful!! What a stunning garden bed!

Thanks for clarifying the problem with your most recent post. That really is an interesting dilemna. I'll be curious to see what other folks suggest.

I would start with the Head-Groundskeeper of the golf course. I wonder if they would be able to and willing to adjust their sprinkler coverage so that they don't water your beds. Also, since sprinkler systems are divided into zones that are timed to run at different times, I wonder if they might be able to and willing to adjust the system a bit so that the zone that is sprinkling your beds could run at a time closer to dawn.

If you get nowhere on that front (which wouldn't surprise me) then I wonder what kind of fungus-prevention and fungus-remedies would be worth trying.

At first, I was also thinking of suggesting that you water once a week: very long and deeply to help get the roots growing lower in the soil, but I'm afraid that would cause your beautiful waterwise plants to show signs of over-watering.

Yikes. What a dilemna! Best of luck!!

As for the course - I think it's OK, they don't care if their grass has shallow roots, they just want "green", they cut down pretty far with the mowers.

What grinder needs to do is contact the Golf Superintendent and have him or her adjust the sprinkler heads so that they aren't overspraying into a private yard. Though I ain't so sure that I'd be complaining!

HOWEVER - when we built the house we did not know there was a sprinkler JUST off out back yard. All of a sudden the sprinkler when on and BAM BAM BAM against the side of the house - then BAM BAM BAM the water went THROUGH the kitchen and hit the back wall!! LOL

That was 5 years ago. they since have adjusted it 3 times and this year again it hitting the back yard but not the house.

Just worried about fungus - NORMALLY they water once a week.

I had tip in Garden Gate about 6 months ago about a spread sheet I keep for bloom times. Many things are blooming a month early this year.

Lost some daylilies for some unknown reason - I thought those were indestructible. Only one kind, the ones right next to them are great! Weird.