OK - say you have several acres, maybe 7. Too much to water a 7-acre lawn, unless you either have a well with ridiculous yield (like 100GPM & abundant groundwater) or wish to spend $1000 per month.

However, as it is much harder to replace a tree or established shrub/perennial bed than to replant grass, I'd be more concerned about the ability to irrigate the permanent non-lawn plants.

In this area, most summers have at least dry spells that, while most plants survive them, it's not "optimal". Some years, like this one up until recently, are actually pretty wet & need no irrigation at all. Still other years, like 2007, it seems like it never rains.

However, with a larger property, to me the idea of an inground system has an appeal even if it won't be used for the lawn, since dragging a hose 800 feet to the back of a large lot seems difficult.

I'd like a system that allows me to irrigate relatively easily if/when I need to.

Has anyone done this specifically for everything BUT the lawn?