Get rid of the lawn- Lawns are labor intensive and tend to waste a lot of water. They also add to the landfill for those cities without composting alternatives. Lawns also tend to use more fertilizer and other chemicals to "make them look better". These chemicals end up running off into our water drainage systems and our lakes, ponds or oceans. Instead, plant a garden using beautiful, drought tolerant, native flowers, shrubs or ornamental grasses.

Install a drip irrigation system- This will help focus the water to the roots of your plants. It also conserves water, in that it doesn't evaporate as much as a sprinkler would and it's efforts are targeted of the "right" areas of the plants. Also, it will allow you to do other things while the plants are getting a drink.

Be water thrifty- Instead of wasting water, waiting for it to warm up (or cool down)...catch it in a pitcher, and use it to water your indoor plants or garden. Also, keep the water you use to rinse your vegetables or other items you rinse. Install a rain barrel to catch rain water. It is amazing the amount you can capture from even a small rain. Place buckets in your garden to capture the rain. This also allows it to be close to where you will be using it. Install a grey water system (check your local codes first) to conserve bath or dish water.

Group plants according to their watering needs- It will make it easier and less wasteful to water. An example would be to plant a grouping of tender annuals in your garden of more drought tolerant plants. You would need to water only the annuals once or twice a week, and your other plants once every other week. Otherwise, you would have to water ALL your garden once or twice a week. Hand water using your water from the bucket or rain barrel.

Hand watering is more conservative than sprinklers. You tend to water each plant where it needs it and for no longer than you have to when watering by hand. Sprinklers tend to be left on for too long or forgotten about until you have a lake in your yard, or it's running down the street. If you are a sprinkler fan, try using a timer. These can be the fancy ones from a store that you put on your faucet, or as simple as using your cooking timer. You want to aim to fill a tuna can (or about an inch) before moving the sprinkler to a new place. Water deep and less often.

Water in the morning- If you water in the afternoon on a hot day, a lot of the water will be wasted due to evaporation. This is also true for windy days. The mornings tend to be cooler and less windy. If you can not water in the mornings for any reason, water in the evenings...BUT make sure to watch out for mildew or mold growth. On windy days, do not use your sprinklers. Instead hand water, use drip irrigation or your rain water.

Don't over-water- For new plants the rule of thumb is to baby them through the first year. Keep the soil moist to allow it's root system to develop and take hold. After the first year it is best to wait until the plant "tells" you that it is thirsty. Look for first signs of drooping leaves, a change in color, or drooping stems. Do not let it go past this point or it can stress out the plant. Water until the top 6" of soil is soaked, or approximately 1" or water. This is called watering deep. By watering deep you are encouraging the roots to grow deeper. If you were to just give the plants a splash of water every day, this would train the plants roots to grow shallow and to need water more often. The key is to water deep and less frequently.

Mulch, mulch, mulch- Mulching has many benefits. By spreading 2-3 inches of organic matter on top of the soil, it helps retain moisture, smothers weeds, keeps the soil cooler and looks great too! After the mulch breaks down, it will also add nutrients to the soil.