Well the day i join a new gardening forum our beloved state govt leaders announce water restrictions limiting how we wash cars ( by bucket lol Guess the car will stay dirty) and watering gardens.


Out of curiosity are there any other countries out there enjoying a drought as we appear to be every year lately?
and if so how do you keep your gardens alive during a drought.

I know grey water is popular but rather expensive to set up here. I could rig up some sort of rainwater tank system rather cheaply but the beauracy of permits etc really turn me off all these alternatives.

Well los, looks like you`re not the only one suffering at the hands of the drought condition regulations.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0522/p04s01-woeu.html

Quote:England's new late-night crime spree: watering gardens
The island of dreary drizzles is enduring the driest 18-month spell in 70 years, forcing Britons to ration water, forgo garden hoses, and plant cacti.

Keith Clack puts down his bucket, shifts his ladder on his shoulder, and casts a glance skyward. "We're going to get a shower now," he correctly predicts as grey drops strafe passersby. "About time too. We're going to need a whole summer of this to even things out."

The British are known for complaining about the weather - but that is usually because it is too wet. With parts of the country parched by the driest 18-month spell for 70 years, some are beginning to pray for rain. Aquifers and reservoirs are depleted; rationing is on the way. Already the government Environment Agencyis saying there is less water per head in London than in parts of the Sudan. Another dry summer, they say, and people will be forced to fill their kettles and saucepans from fire hydrants in the streets.

"I've been a window cleaner 25 years and I can't remember a time like this," says Mr. Clack. "I can only recall three times in the past six months when it rained at all. And I notice these things in my job, I can tell you."

If southeast England has been dry, Sutton's been about the driest. Last week, the local water company issued Britain's first drought order for 11 years, bringing in special powers to limit water usage in a range of outlets: automated car washes, golf courses, swimming pools.

The water restrictions are on a three-tiered system, starting with a "level one" ban on gardening hoses, then graduating up to "level three" rationing through water cut-offs between certain hours.

It's all making for some peculiar changes to consumer behavior. Gardening stores say they have sold out of rain catchment systems and watering cans (garden hose use has been banned for weeks in southeast England). Gardeners like Joan Spooner, who was buying plants recently with husband Reginald, are looking for more hardy perennials rather than the usual staples of an English country garden.

"It's been the driest 18-month period since 1932-34," says Wayne Elliott, meteorology spokesman for the Met Office, the national weather forecaster. People of that generation had more experience with privation, he notes. "Society's changed a lot since then. Expectations are much higher. Nowadays, people expect water to come out of the tap when they turn it on ."

Of course, no one had heard of climate change in 1932. But Mr. Elliott warns against jumping to conclusions this time around. "Climate change points to winters getting wetter across the UK, so this goes against the science," he says.

Comparisons have also been made with the last major drought that many Britons remember, a 1976 dry spell when people shared baths, dirty cars were the ultimate patriotic statement, and the government appointed a minister for drought.

But while that episode is remembered fondly in Britain, this time around it's proving more fractious.

Take the garden-hose ban. Not everyone, it seems, is observing it. In Sutton, residents say some recalcitrant types sneak out after dark to take a sprinkler to their prize possessions. Not all get away with it: Others, provoked by fury, civic duty, or just a meddlesome nature, have been reporting offenders to the authorities at a rate of dozens of calls every day.

And there's finger-pointing elsewhere too. Locals are furious at private water companies who are imposing usage limits but still announcing large profits - and letting millions of liters seep away in leaky pipes each day.

But the government says the onus should be equally on consumers to preserve water - by putting large objects in toilet tanks, for example, taking fewer baths, or turning the tap off while brushing teeth.

"We're concerned the message may not be sinking in," says a government spokeswoman who spoke on the customary condition of anonymity. "We should be finding ways to save water and care for the environment."

One water company suggested last week that if things get dire, it might even look at shipping in water by sea.

Already, some people are taking matters into their own hands, drilling wells on their land to tap their own source of water. Borehole drilling companies are reporting brisk business. For the first time, the Chelsea Flower Show organizers have drilled their own. Nonetheless, the show which starts Tuesday promises to offer a decidedly Mediterranean theme.

"There are a number of 'waterwise' gardens and exhibits of drought-tolerant plants," says Hayley Monckton of the Royal Horticultural Society, which organizes the annual show. "There are lots of bearded irises, olive trees, even a cactus in one of the gardens. It will give gardeners plenty to go away and think about."

Most green-fingered types in this nation of gardeners will probably go away thinking about when it's next going to rain. Elliott at the Met Office can't make firm predictions about that, though. One thing he does know: It's unlikely to be wet enough to undo the damage of the past 18 months. "This summer's hard to predict," he says. "It could go either way. But indications are that we are unlikely to see the amount of rainfall that will make good the shortfall."

For now, anyone living in Sutton just needs to make the most of what rain does fall. Clack picks up his ladder and cloths and heads off into the drizzle. "I'm going to leave my bucket out in this so I won't have to use the tap," he says.

This article has some great tips los which might be of some use in your situation.

Conserving Outdoor Water

Tim O'Donnell, a water conservation specialist, shares tips on how to conserve water outdoors.

* Water-efficient landscaping is one of the best ways to conserve water.

* Begin by determining the natural climate conditions in the yard, and group plants with similar water needs. For example, note the areas of the yard that are hot, dry, shady or damp, and place the appropriate plants in the appropriate place.


* Grass should be grown in areas where it proves to be functional. For areas that require more water, create interest in the landscape by using rock, wood or concrete pathways (figure A). Patio areas can also decrease water use.


* One way to supply water to certain plants, vegetables and shrubs that have greater moisture needs is to fill a plastic soda bottle with water, put the cap back on, and with a needle, poke a small hole in the cap. The hole should only be big enough to allow the water to drip out slowly. Bury the bottle, with the cap down, near the root zone of the plant (figure B). This will provide easy drip irrigation.

* One of the best ways to water flowers, vegetables or shrubs is to use a soaker hose that waters at the root zone instead of on top of the leaves. You can purchase a soaker hose or make one by taking a section of old hose and poking a hole in it with a needle (figure C). Buy a cap for the end of the hose, or use a spray nozzle in the off position as a cap.

* Good soil has better water absorption and water-holding capacity. Enrich soils with compost or peat moss. The plants are sure to thrive and grow.

* Having a well-designed, well-timed sprinkler system saves money and reduces water waste. Sprinkler timing devices range in price and are fairly easy to use. Use a moisture sensor in the yard and around the growing landscape to help determine when to water and the amount. Remember to adjust the timer on the sprinkler system according to changing weather conditions. This will also help save water and money.

* Placement of the sprinkler is important to conserve water. If you can help it, don't let water run onto the pavement. Keep it on the grass or plants.

* The time of day is very important when watering a lawn or garden. Try to water in the early morning or in the evening. Otherwise, the water from the sprinkler will evaporate before it hits the ground or before it soaks into the ground.

* Mulch is always a wonderful ingredient to use in a garden. It covers the soil, cools it and slows erosion and evaporation. This also cuts down on the amount of watering, which in turn saves on water costs.

* Set a lawn mower to either the second-highest notch or the highest notch, which results in a higher blade of grass. Longer grass allows less evaporation, and the longer the blade of grass, the longer the root. If the root is longer, then it will be able to tap into the moisture deep in the soil.

* Collect rain water from the gutters and water your outside plants with it. Another option is to let the runoff water go into the yard and into the soil. This is an easy and inexpensive way to water the yard.

More ideas-

Here are some tips to help your plants make it through the drought.

Make sure all plants are well mulched. Using three to five inches of mulch will help reduce soil moisture water loss. Fine-textured mulches, such as pine straw, mininuggets or shredded hardwood mulch, will conserve moisture better than coarse-textured mulches.

Some garden centers sell hydrogels, water-absorbing polymers that absorb several hundred times their weight in water, and then release it slowly back to the plant.

If you use hydrogels, hydrate them indoors. Don't put dry crystals into the soil, because they can pull moisture from the soil and away from the plant.
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When you hydrate these materials, be careful. One teaspoon absorbs a quart of water, and one-fourth cup will absorb a five-gallon bucket of water, so avoid adding too much of the material to the water.

Let hydrogels absorb water overnight until the material is the consistency of Jell-O [R]. Then spread a thin layer under mulch. On potted plants, use a dowel to punch two to three holes into the growing media about halfway down through the container, placing the gel in the holes. This will greatly reduce the water demand of container plants.

Another product on the market is called Driwater [R]. Unlike hydrogels that swell and shrink and last several years in the soil, Driwater [R] (http://www.driwater.com) is hydrated starch granules sold in sausage-shaped tubes.

You just insert two to four of these sausages into plastic tubes placed in the ground next to the plant. Bacteria in the soil gradually break down the starch granules and release water to the plant for up to three months.

Your air-conditioner collects humidity in your home and pumps it outside as condensation. Find the drain line and collect the water for plants. Or extend the tubing to irrigate nearby plants. The air-conditioner won't give you lots of water, but it may provide just enough to keep a few plants alive through an extended drought.

Severe wilting and foliar scorching are signs of drought stress. When a shrub or perennial wilts to the point that you doubt its survival, cut the top back by one-third to one-half to reduce the leaves' demand for water.

With fewer tops to support, the root system may be able to survive. If you can get the root system through the drought, the top will prosper later. Save milk jugs and recycle water from inside the home. (Using gray water isn't allowed in some counties. Check with your health department.) Put a few pinholes and pebbles in the bottom of the jugs, as the pebbles will keep them from blowing around when they're empty.

Use two to four jugs for medium-size shrubs and eight to ten for trees. Don't bury the jugs around trees and shrubs, because the digging will damage the already-stressed root system.

When using washing-machine water, combine the rinse-cycle water with the wash-cycle water to dilute the detergent and bleaching agents. Then use the gray water immediately. Bacteria in the water may cause an odor if you leave it sitting around too long.

This fall, start thinking of ways to reduce the irrigated areas in your landscape. Change irrigated areas to beds of drought-tolerant ground covers or mixed beds of tough-as-nails plants, like ornamental grasses, sedum, junipers, crepe myrtle, yarrow or gaura.