Tom: OK, maybe you will have to water. Some pointers that may help. Do you have some kind of SUV? I have a Suburban, so I am lucky. I have been watering about 400 new trees and some that I planted in prior years, If I use my methods and had just 100 or so--"piece of cake." I got a shallow rubber-like or flexible plastic tray that fits in the back. I can line up 40 jugs on this and can re-fill them right there and drain off the spillage out the back of the tray by pressing down its lip. I have another tray in the side that holds another 18. I drive close to me trees and carry them by twos or threes to the trees. For 90% of them I created a nice berm to hold the water, so I can pour it out fast. 100 trees, if they are in rows close toghether, maybe 2 or 2 1/2 hours. With kids helping, much less. No problem! Good luck. If you water them and keep up their strength, they will get established fast. If you see good buds form and the thick leader develop, you are home free, and one good watering now could do the trick. If the buds are really small and the leaders don't show any thickening, you should water more regurlarly until fall, if needed. --Spruce

It's always nice to know that there are people that appreciate what we have here in Hawaii. What we have here is very precious. Though, many people who spend their entire lives here are not aware that Hawaii is home to a third of the nation's endangered plant species. Even common native plants here are somewhat a rarity. In the garden (and just living in general) it's truly a beauty to be blessed with gentle tropical weather.

Brenda, Thanks so much for starting this thread. I, too, have been hit hard by the flood. I got about 18" on the first floor of my house and lost at least 20' of the foundation wall. We also lost 3 cars and a truck. We were on vacation and the water came up so fast that even if we had been home we could only have saved the vehicles. Before we left on vacation, the prediction was only for the crest to be 2' higher than the flood of '93. We were high and dry then without even anything in the basement. Anyway, my hostas all appear to be doing okay other than the nasty film that covers almost all of the plants. Actually Queen Josephine is bright and shiny and representing her royal position very well. My problem is, though, I am going to have to dig all of them up (around 100) and find a place for them until we can get a different home or rebuild on our present lot. Either way it could take months. We are trying to be patient but the stress is incredible. FEMA, the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and other groups and organizations have been way beyond helpful but the city doesn't seem to know which way to go. I realize that none of us have been in this position before but the lack of communication and misinformation is very disheartening. Anyway, back to the hostas - would it be better to try to pot them all and hope we have a home by fall or have some friends take them until next spring and then bring them to where ever we are? Either way I will worry about frost heave or finding a place to over winter them in pots. I have done that successfully before but not with 100. I certainly don't have the space for that many. Any and all advice would be helpful! Roxanne, where is that road? I haven't seen anything like that but then again I have been in my own little world for the past two weeks.

All of these have done well with once a week watering to none at all. Depends on the plant, what it gets. I put an star by the no watering at all ones. I've been keeping the grasses water to keep them green and this is their first summer so I am still establishing them. *Houston's Pride Holly *Silver King Artemesia *Chamisa (Rubber Rabbit Bush) *Mormon Tea *Russian Sage *Spanish Broom *Cactus, all of them Desert Spoon *Oregano *Thyme *Creeping Rosemary Red Barberry (a bit singed on tips, deep watering once a month) Skullcap *Purple Prairie Clover *Liatris *Paperflower Missouri Primrose Bahia disecta Milkweed *Agaves *Weeping Lovegrass *All the Muhly grasses *Hesperaloe Mexican Feather Grass Desert Marigolds Dogweed *Flame Flowers *Apache Plume Switch Grass Little Bluestem Winterfat *Fringed Sage