Flower Garden Irrigation

Although there are several ways to irrigate your landscape, a sprinkler system is not the best choice for a flower bed. Instead, choose to use a soaker hose or, even better, a drip irrigation system. Since flowers require much less water than do food crops, in-ground water sprinkling and irrigation systems are a waste of both time and money. A soaker hose is just that—a hose made of rubber that contains tiny holes that allow the water to weep through, providing water directly to the roots of your flowers. Here are some tips for installing and using either a soaker hose or a drip irrigation system for your flowerbeds:

• Soaker hose. A soaker hose can either be installed in-ground or above-ground. If you are planting a new flower garden, you may as well go ahead and install the in-ground soaker hose before planting the flowers, since there is no chance of disturbing established plants. Further, in-ground soaker hoses provide more water to the flower's roots, since there is no chance of evaporation of water. Delivering the water at a steady and slow rate directly to the roots, in-ground soaker hoses water your flowers evenly, with little chance of pooling water that can create rot. If you've already an established flowerbed, lay your soaker hoses between your flowers, and cover them with mulch. Covering the hoses is imperative so that water runoff is averted.
• Drip irrigation. If you plan to grow flowers for sale, then using a drip irrigation system will save you time, money, and water. A drip irrigation system is not aesthetic in that the tubing and main waterline can be seen. If your goal is to landscape with small beds of flowers, then you probably don't want to use a drip irrigation system for watering your flowers. But if you want to grow flowers enmasse in a controlled watering environment, then a drip irrigation system is better than any other type of watering system.

Decide the best type of irrigation for your flowerbeds based on your reasoning for growing flowers. If you simply want to grow a prize rose bush, then you might not need a soaker hose nor a drip irrigation system. Simply water the rose bush by hand with a water hose or sprinkler can. But if you have a large landscape with several flowerbeds interspersed throughout your property, then you may want to investigate using a soaker hose or drip irrigation system to save yourself time, money, and conserve water.