ladyrose, I'm not at all familiar with your area, but here in Texas we use lots and lots of mulch, and I will say that all of my roses came through our horrible drought like champs! We have watering restrictions every year, right now it's twice a week, and I took full advantage of those...

at least a whole 10 litre can, poured slowly around each rose so it soaks into the ground, then a really good mulch. Also, water crystals are a fad and only have any use in hanging baskets and such - better to get a nice wodge of compost in the planting hole which will act like a sponge.

We harvest rain water in barrels & use it instead of the hose. Lower water bills AND we didn't get in trouble last year when the rest of the county was on water restrictions.

Are they in the ground? I like campanula's suggestions. Also, I use drip irrigation, works great, minimizes water loss. You can also get drip systems for pots.

Save rain water when it does come but also it's OK to use dish water, bath water, laundry water, what ever you can save and take out to dump on them. Put large pots under your taps to catch the water when you wash your hands and things too. Don't worry about the soap. It's not usually harmful and will certainly be far less damaging than no water would be.

When you can water outside it's better to water once a week very deeply than to water just a little bit every day. Try and water in the early morning or early evening when it's cooler and for conservation don't use a sprinkler. If you don't have a drip system get soaker hoses. They lose less water to evaporation than sprinklers do. And a thick layer of mulch does help retain moisture in the soil for a longer peroid of time.

One addition to Campanula's suggestion- if you don't have the time/inclination to pour out the water slowly use a couple of empty gallon milk jugs. 3 gallons is about 10 litres.

Poke a good-sized (but not big, say carpentry-nail sized, bigger than a pin at least) hole at the lowest part of one side, fill them with water, screw the top on and take the top off once it's in place. It's great because the water won't really start coming out while the top is screwed on so you don't drip everywhere while you walk around the yard. I think my mom got this trick from when she lived in Riverside, CA. It's also great for transplants and other things when you need to spot-water and don't feel like standing over something for a half hour with the hose on a trickle.

I would like to thank you all for the advice. I am def. going to use it.

I use all those devices plus let the annuals die out or move the containers into the rose garden so no water runs off on sidewalks, patios or anywhere it isn't needed.

Shade structure for the hottest, sunniest areas of the garden also help to retain moisture. Just weight the dang thing down so you aren't chasing it down the street...

I like that idea NewGirl!

I like to use spagnum peat moss in the hole, along with other stuff. I need it for drainage in clay, but it also doesn't harden like a brick like the top several inches of our clay does. It'll dry too much on the very top itself, so still use mulch over it.

Your mileage may vary, depending on your soil there. If you do use it, really soak it first -- like in a big bucket and use your hands -- or it'll screw everything up and suck water away or never get wet.

I make it sound bad, but it really helps unless you let it totally dry out down below, and that takes a whole lot of not watering :)

Straw is also really good to put down under your mulch.