Stop drowning your flowers or losing blooms to dry, crusty soil. Follow these plant watering tips for a thriving flower garden throughout the season. Tips for containers, sun lovers, and more! Read on to grow your green thumb!
Have you ever wondered how much or how little to water your flower gardens? It can be a tough balance between how much is too much or too little, am I right?
Well today, I’m sharing the secrets to watering your flower garden like a pro so it thrives this year and beyond. Plus, I’m sharing a watering hack that completely changed how I garden forever.
Learn how to properly water your flower gardens with these simple tips!
(Posts on stacyling.com may contain affiliate links. Click HERE for full disclosure.)
Expert Tips for Watering Your Flower Garden
As many of you know, I’m passionate about creating gorgeous gardens that are effortless to maintain. And guess what? Proper watering is one of the keys to unlocking that blooming perfection!
The thing with watering is, how much or how little you water largely depends on your soil, what you are growing, how you are growing them, the season, their location in your yard, and how well you water. Here’s what you need to know so you learn how to properly water your flower garden.
How Soil Impacts Watering
Before you grab the hose, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty: your soil. Think of it as the foundation of your plant’s hydration system. Your soil type and whether or not it drains well allows water to reach the roots efficiently while preventing waterlogging that can drown them.
So, how do you know if your soil is up to the task?
To determine how well your soil drains, dig a hole about 6 inches deep and wide, fill it with water, and observe. If the water drains within a few hours, you’ve got well-draining soil. If it takes much longer, you might need to amend your soil with compost, leaf mold, and other organic matter to improve drainage.
It’s also a good idea to test your soil to determine what nutrients it has or is lacking so you can amend the soil accordingly. This will overall help with hydration. Ask your local cooperative extension for a kit or you can buy a soil test kit online.
There are different types of soil that absorb water differently. Without bogging you down with the specifics, just understand that the type of soil you have can greatly impact your watering practices.
And happy soil equals happy plants!
Seasonal Shifts: How Temperature and Weather Impact Watering Needs
Just like us, plants adjust their thirst with the seasons. For example, spring in New Jersey can be more temperate with lots of rain. With cooler temperatures and more rain, I don’t physically water my garden plants as much, even when they are in containers because the weather takes care of it for me. If we don’t get rain, then I will do supplemental watering.
Summer demands deeper frequent soakings to reach thirsty roots hidden below the hot surface. If you are gardening in containers or raised garden beds, you might be watering daily, sometimes even two times per day if it’s hot and dry enough.
As fall arrives, I gradually taper off watering to prepare plants for winter. The air gets a bit cooler, New Jersey tends to get more rain, so I back off my watering practices more.
And speaking of winter, more established plants only need minimal watering during this dormant period. If you planted new evergreens and trees however, they may need to be watered if there’s no rain or snow to keep them hydrated.
It’s important to pay attention to your seasons, how much rain you get, and check the soil to see when and how often you need to water. You will learn how much or how little you need from observing your garden and doing.
Pro-Tip: When you plant evergreens and shrubs, they can take a year to fully establish. It’s best to plant them in fall because it is much easier for them to establish through the winter into spring as opposed to trying to help them establish during the extreme heat of summer.
How to Check Your Soil Moisture
The best way to learn about your soil and determine whether your plants need to be watered is to stick your finger down into the soil. Does it feel dry? Or is it soaked? Getting a feel for your soil will help you learn how dry or wet it is so you know how often you need to water. So listen to your garden throughout the seasons and your garden will reward you with lots of pretty flowers.
Watering Right for the Home: Container vs. In-Ground Plants
Container gardens bring lots of floral charm to small spaces, but their residents will have unique watering needs. Unlike their in-ground counterparts, container plants are surrounded by limited soil, which dries out faster, particularly in the summer heat. So, be prepared to water them more frequently, especially during hot spells.
Watering your flower garden requires a nuanced approach that caters to the specific needs of both in-ground and container plants. In general, your garden beds will benefit from deep, less frequent watering sessions, targeting the roots rather than the leaves. Soaker hoses and drip irrigation systems are fantastic tools for ensuring your in-ground plants receive consistent moisture without water wastage.
For container gardens, hanging baskets, and window boxes, a more frequent watering schedule is usually necessary due to their limited soil volume and increased exposure to drying elements. These plants will thrive with thorough watering until excess water drains from the bottom, preventing overwatering while ensuring the entire root system is hydrated.
Thus, regularly checking the soil moisture for both types of garden plants is crucial to determine when and how much to water, as factors like soil type, weather conditions, and plant species can greatly influence their water requirements.
Watering Hack for Planters, Hanging Baskets, and Window Boxes
Many of us know about drip irrigation systems for in-ground gardens, but did you know that there are easy kits you can buy for your planters too?
Let me tell you, these drip irrigation kits set on timers are total game changers where planting in containers is concerned. Because you could spend hours watering in the summer if you don’t set up some sort of drip irrigation system for them.
I run these drip irrigation kits to all of my planters, hanging baskets, and window boxes set on timers so they are set and forget all season long. Now I will say that I check them frequently to make sure they aren’t getting over or under-watered. And if they need adjusting, I adjust!
But overall these kits are easy to install, use, and are MUST-HAVES if you garden with any sort of planters because they will significantly cut down on your watering chores.
To accommodate the drip system and still be able to use a garden hose, I use these two or four-way hose splitters too. This addition to my gardens has quite literally changed my gardening life with how well they bloom and grow. So I can’t recommend these enough.
Note: You may need to adjust the timing of hose timers throughout the season to accommodate seasonal and climate conditions.
Not All Flowers Are Created Equal: A Guide to Specific Watering Preferences
Did you know that sunflowers, roses, and petunias are water guzzlers, while lavender and sedum autumn joy are drought-tolerant champions? Thus, different flower types have varying water requirements. To avoid underwatering or overwatering your precious blooms, group them based on their watering needs. You can find this information on plant tags and plant descriptions for the flowers you plant.
Tailoring Your Watering to Your Garden’s Microclimate
Environmental factors like sunlight, wind, and humidity can greatly affect how much or how little you need to water. Plants basking in full sun will dry out much faster than their shade-loving buddies. Similarly, windy or humid days might require adjustments too. Your unique garden is a microclimate, so observe and adapt your watering based on its unique needs. Walk and enjoy your flower gardens every day so you can learn what they need as it grows so your blooms thrive!
How to Water Plants: Target the Roots, Not the Foliage – Watering Wisdom in Action
Here’s a golden rule: aim for the roots, not the foliage. This is why drip irrigation and soaker hoses work so well. Overhead watering can encourage fungal diseases. Instead, use watering cans, soaker hoses, or drip irrigation systems to deliver water directly to the root zone. Think of it as a targeted spa treatment for your thirsty plants. Trust me, they’ll appreciate the precision!
One of the reasons you don’t want to water from above is because when the foliage stays wet and the sun goes down, that water does not evaporate as well which causes fungal problems. The same goes for the soil. When plants sit in wet soggy soil overnight it encourages pest and disease problems. And we don’t want that!
In addition to watering the base of plants, it’s also really important to water in the earlier part of the day instead of later in the day. It is better for your flower garden and plants because they will have a chance to dry out before nightfall when the temperatures cool.
Watering Your Flower Garden With Confidence
By understanding your soil, respecting the seasons, and catering to individual plant needs, you’ll become a watering master! Close observation and experimentation are key to learning what works best for you and your garden. So keep and eye on your garden and adjust your approach when necessary. How we water flower beds in May will look different from how we water them in July.
If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, please tell me in the comments below so we can chat more. And feel free to share this post with others who may find it helpful.
To brush up on some gardening basics, please read these posts:
For more watering tips, check out this post from the West Virginia Cooperative Extension.
Thank you so much for following along.
Enjoy a beautiful day! xo
