i catch the water in our upstairs bathroom preheating the shower to flush the toilet. way too much work to carry it outside for another use, but at least we get 1 or 2 free flushes per bucket. we've also installed these little gadgets on our shower heads that mostly turn off the stream (it trickles)but keep the temp at what you left it at. then you push the button again and you have a full stream again. easy to install and use. couple years back i cut back to every other day on my showers, too, which lets me sleep in half the time and saves a little water. i won't waste a drop on the lawn, but i have been watering my beds this year. in years past i didn't til it was really bad, and i found it harder to rewet than if i'd just kept up with it. also, it seems like when we get these early droughts often the pattern goes back to normal. i'd hate for it all to dry up beyond redemption and then the rains come and be no help in resurrecting things because i didn't water for a few weeks (which has happened before). if it continues to be droughty, i will probably taper off, though. we are on a well, and i have to be practical. i have a lot of container plants i have no choice with, but the beds will be on their own if we don't have rain in another few weeks. some stuff already looks like it's a mid august drought. i hate it!

im not sure i see all that much damage ... note on the hydrangea.. its all the old leaves.. and not the newer growth.. that means.. whatever did it.. is probably long gone ... i cant really make heads nor tails of the dahlia problem.. might be the dark foliage that makes it hard to see .... other than it looks like you might have hit the flowers with oil ... you never want to spray the flowers themselves.. they just cant take it ... the hosta.. go out at night.. and look for slugs ... and there is a very active hosta forum ... ken

I want to finally use the BBQ I had put together last year and invite some friends to a BBQ on the patio I haven't used yet. I want to move 2 overly aggressive columbines to their own containers so they don't overshade the hostas in the same container they're in. I want to plant a new Royal Tiara hosta, as mine didn't make it through the move to my house from my apartment balcony. I have already applied weed killer to many of the weeds invading the lawn and rose garden, and the kids next door promised to pull out weeds for me, as one of my prescriptions makes me dizzy to bend over and then straighten up. And, with any luck, the new front door and side door, which I had ordered almost 2 years ago, will finally be installed by a 4th contractor. The first guy hasn't returned calls for 3 weeks, supposedly waiting for his star carpenter to get back to him. The second guy now has 3 hernias and is supposedly retiring, The third guy is not qualified to do advanced framing carpentry. But this 4th guy looks very promising. Wish me luck getting the beautiful new door and storm door installed, after almost 2 years. It's currently leaning against the dining room wall, where it does me a whole lotta good.

millworkman, this is a Michigan Rain Garden Class that I am participating in this Spring. Sigrid, I am not sure what plants were originally installed. The class has requested that I work on a personal rain garden and not one for the town for my project. So I am switching over for my project and will tackle this one later after the class is complete.