Low Water Landscape - Outdoor watering puts great demands on city water supplies and can quickly run up water bills. A few basic techniques will help you reduce the amount of water necessary to keep your lawn and garden green:

• Water grass only when necessary and make sure to water accurately. The only thing that will grow when you water sidewalks and streets is the size of your water bill.
• Water early in the morning. Mid-day watering can burn plants and much of the water is lost to evaporation. Nighttime watering result in damaging fungus.
• Use timers on sprinklers and soaker hoses throughout your garden.
• Use mulch in your garden areas to keep soil moist and reduce evaporation.
• Use low-water sprinklers. They don't actually use less water, but they distribute the water via bigger droplets. Mists and fine-spray sprinklers lose lots of water to evaporation.
• Use mulch under plants and shrubs. Mulching prevents weed growth and keeps soil moist under plants. As organic matter, mulches also decompose over time and release needed nutrients to the soil.
• Use soil conditioners. If you're planting trees and shrubs, take the time to properly prepare the soil so it holds moisture. Adding organic matter, like peat moss or compost, usually does this. One interesting product that can dramatically increase the soil's ability to hold water is a polymer soil conditioner. This looks like ground-up plastic and swells to a gel-like consistency when wet. The water contained in the polymer is then slowly released to the soil when needed, providing a buffer in periods of limited rainfall.