1. Mulch your gardens. Mulch holds water and moisture in the ground allowing plants to get more of it than of evaporation. Bark mulch is OK for trees, shrubs and pathways but not for perennials, as it will leach nutrients out of the soil that perennials need. Perennials should receive more nourishing compost-type mulch.

2. Have someone regularly check your irrigation. Irrigation can be adjusted to avoid overspray, and can be responsive to local weather.

3. Irrigate trees and shrubs on a drip line to avoid over-watering an area.

4.  Irrigate gardens and lawns overnight to avoid evaporation during the daylight hours.

5. Design Gardens with plants that thrive in similar environments.

6. Use a sufficient quality and quantity of topsoil to aid in capturing and containing moisture for plant use.

7. Aerate lawn areas to allow water to penetrate more deeply into the soil and to allow air into the root system.

8. Make sure that water features are recirculating and not leaking.

9. Keep landscapes weed free to allow garden plants access to all the irrigation water.