Fortunately, we're a little less than an inch behind our normal rainfall here. And I seem to be situated in a narrow "weather belt" where if there's a rain producing cloud going over, I'll get it. It can be bone dry a few blocks in any direction. The downside is that it works the same for snow - in an event I can get 2 feet whereas others get a dusting. With Lake Superior as our greatest resource, we rarely have water restrictions. However, the hint is always there to practice conservation, if for no other reason than it's the right thing to do and because all of the lakes are below their normal levels. I know there's an ongoing attempt by thirsty areas west of the Mississippi to construct pipelines and drain off Great Lakes water. Luckily, Canada has a vested interest in this not happening too. Perhaps in the more arid regions, there should be a moratorium on swimming pools? More education on the use of native plants?Well, end of rant. Gardening should be a joyful exercise and I feel for those of you suffering with the angst of watering woes.

Sometimes it helps to 'downsize' the amount of foliage to reduce the number of leaves all breathing out water vapour. If the root mass is smaller than the foliage on top it can be a losing battle to keep the leaves turgid on hot/windy days. Definitely shading and a windbreak. Even something as unaesthetically pleasing as old net curtains or an ancient and dampened sheet draped over a sturdy frame can make the difference.

It is so nice and useful to read all the information and experiences of our forum members here. I never thought seriously about the water I use for germination, normally I used tap water. Once I used distilled water for spray the plants because the tap water spray make the leaves so ugly. When the water dried all the leaves have whitish residues from the water probably the lime/chalk. When the tap water is dried always chalk/lime built up on the surface. So we have vinegar plus solution for regular cleaning. One of my friends apartment's tap water is pretty bad when he boils it the water lost its color, it looks like water with milk. I hate this chalky water. However, I do not know this hard water is good for the plant. Caelian

Some valve bodies have an auto shut off feature which is designed to prevent scalding. If one side has no pressure, both sides are shut off inside the valve body. Or you dislodged some huge chunk of rust and it made its way to the shower valve. I can't see from here. Try dissembling the shower valve and flushing it out.