I've always done it the same way, whether OH clay or AL sand. I water only if I see pre-wilt, and only those plants, enough to soak a little past the root ball. Adding more water allows the plants to become lazy about searching for water, is an invitation to weeds, UNwanted by the non-thirsty plants, and a waste of time & $.

Plants shouldn't need any supplemental water after their 1st year except in case of severe drought. If they do, they're the wrong plants for the spot/climate, there's still a ball of peat around the root ball, the soil has issues that need to be addressed, or more mulch might be needed.

I find the watering thing to be the most stressful aspect of gardening....by a country mile. I have hundreds of seedlings, in pots, trays, modules, all needing different amounts of water, at different times. My unheated greenhouse gets hot, even with shading, so watering is a daily ritual which can take 2 hours - my entire garden is essentially a pot garden so there is no rest, no reprieve. I have thought about irrigation set-ups but with so many pots of different sizes and types (over 200, as well as up to 1000 seedlings), this is a no-go. Basically, every plant needs daily attention and without my little moisture meter, I would have gone insane. There is no poking fingers or dowel in tiny modules and every pot weighs a different amount. All-in-all, watering is the most burdensome, worrying part of gardening.
In complete contrast, the plants in the ground at my allotment get no irrigation as soon as they are safely established, unless desperate measures are required (if it is lying on the ground, for instance).
One year, I actually had 17 hanging baskets (these days I allow myself 1) - that summer was the worst I can remember - I was practically munching vallium - a nervous anxious wreck of a human being. Never again.

Everything in the ground gets nothing unless it is desperate, or I remember it is new. I used to have a lot of plants in pots. Now I have a lot fewer, and try to get them into big enough pots that they don't need a lot of watering either. Given my tendency, water crystals have saved the life of many a potted plant.

The only time I was into watering at all was when my daughter was little. She wanted to run through the sprinkler, and I thought it might as well be watering something.

For me, I really think it is my OCD kicking in that causes me to water everything. I see one thing droop slightly and I think everything must be thirsty :) Apparently, everyone else is on the opposite end of the spectrum! Any new areas get multiple daily visits as well. Can we say obsession?

The farther from the spigot the bed is, the more drought tolerant my plants are. Also, the beds in full, all day sun tend to have more drought tolerant plantings.

Once the dry summer sets in, I often water bed plants (in the earth) once a week, in the morning if at all possible. All my beds have organic mulch to slow evaporation and attempt to keep the roots cooler.

Potted plants vary by pot material. Clay or concrete pots are watered more frequently than plastic pots. I usually check the potting medium for dryness.

I avoid overhead watering (sprinkling over the leaves from above) and water deeply at the base of each plant. Overhead watering and watering too late in the evening tends to encourage mildew and other problems.

I used to use soak-er hoses, but I would forget to check them and ended up wasting water by run off.

If it's a new bedding plant I'll try and water it a little more the first 2 seasons. After that it's sink or swim with the rest of them, unless we get into a drought situation like the summer of 2012.

Deb

Fun, I am 7B NC as well. Our summers can be horribly dry and hot. I think that has also gotten me into watering very often. I aim for a good soak via hose or rainfall 2-3 x per week in the summer. I am doing 6 x right now, but I keep adding seeds/new pants. They are happy, at least. I have annual dianthus from 2012 that is very tall and have lots of blooms! I have several other annuals (verbena, snapdragons, wallflower, million bells, black blue, dahlia, and red salvia) that also came back. I figure I must be doing ok. :)

As many a garden speaker/writer has said regarding watering, 90% of plants die from overwatering (drowning), whereas only 10% die from too little water (being thirsty). Watering at the base of new plants until the rootball is soaked is the best way to establish a plant. As you water less often, but soak the base of the plant, the roots reach deeper to find their water; hence a stronger plant. As purpleinopp said, watering just at the surface causes the roots to wait at the surface for more. Then they're completely dependent on consistent water from you or M. Nature, and they're much more likely to die when things get tough. In my own garden? I avoid dragging out the hose unless I'm threatened with losing a large number of plants, like in severe drought. The plants are instructed at the point of purchase that they will be babied for the first few weeks, after which they're on their own. In my garden they should be able to survive by themselves. If they don't, I wouldn't have taken the effort to keep them alive anyway, so it's just as good we got it over with.

For the obsessives, please check in the morning, not afternoon. Afternoon wilt can be deceiving and not necessarily a true indicator of thirst on many plants. Morning wilt is the real deal. Not down on anyone, I fall for this too. Just gotta keep reminding each other!

I dont water at all....I have natives

I pay close attention to a plant's soil, light & water requirements and try to plant things where they'll get what they need to thrive. Acknowledged water hogs (i.e., hydrangea, astilbe) get supplemental water during severe dry spells but I water using recycled gallon or larger jugs that I set close to the crown of the plant & fill with water. I poke a pinhole an inch from the bottom of the jug & the water slowly spills out and deep waters the soil close to the plant's base. The inch of water remaining in the jugs keeps them from being blown around by the wind.

It's simple, inexpensive and efficient + I know how much water each plant gets which eliminates over- or under-watering. Depending on circumstances, I've also experimented by planting things that are known to require consistently moist soil and just observed to see how they'd do playing in the same sandbox with other things. Japanese iris is doing exceptionally well growing alongside Shasta daisies, lobelia, globeflower & sedum. It's been my experience that just because something is known to prefer certain soil conditions doesn't necessarily mean it won't thrive in a less-than-ideal location.

We don't water. Many of our gardens have not been introduced to a hose. Our gardens are designed to be low-maintenance. We don't feed plants in the gardens, either.
We use lots and lots and lots of compost and we plant new gardens when the weather forecast is favourable.
We grow lots of natives, ornamental grasses, several hundred hosta varieties, ferns, etc. There are few annuals.
Our gardens are in the shade of a hardwood forest and the shade and wind protection help minimize water needs. But mostly, we rely on compost and good soil and last year's leaves as mulch. About half the gardens are in full sun.
Life is too short to spend with a hose in your hand. Plus, we own 36-acres and many gardens are not within hose access. Visitors often comment on how luxuriant and healthy the gardens are and assume we water, feed and weed constantly.
I grow my tomatoes in containers and they are watered as often as necessary.

Greenthumbzdude, your comment touches on a worthwhile subject, but without some explanation, I fear it could cause a wrong impression. Not sure where you live, or if you've added new baby plants to your garden, but I also use mostly native plant, and some of the ubiquitous non-invasive exotics. Except for cactus-type plants, no baby plant can survive baking in the sun and heat for weeks without rain. That's likely here, and many other places. Just because one is using natives doesn't mean some type of assistance may not be required for some plants to grow to the point where they are self-sufficient.

Also, just because something is native to an area doesn't mean the conditions in every yard match its' requirements. So many factors like fertility, drainage, PH, elevation, wind exposure, etc... can be important factors.

I totally agree that the use of natives is definitely a recipe for creating a garden that does not need supplemental water. That's always been my goal for creating any garden bed. But there are many other fine plants that are suitable and welcome, and I certainly wouldn't welcome just any/every native plant into a garden bed.

To further elaborate on Purpleinopp's elaboration, a lot of the more common garden plants that often require a lot of water are actually native to eastern North America. Things like Phlox paniculata, which is the first thing in my garden to wilt. So usually when people are talking about the drought tolerance of 'natives', they are really talking about the drought tolerance of natives from considerably further west than I've ever lived, and a drastically different ecosystem. To the point that it is fairly common around here for these plants to be poorly adapted to our wetter years.

Excellent!