Newly planted trees and shrubs should be watered at least 3X per week for the first year.  It should be a deep watering with a hose - no irrigation or sprinkler system will sufficiently reach those deeper roots!  Make sure water is cold to the touch. A hose left out in the sun will become very hot, and hot water will kill your plant material.  Deep watering should be at least a slow count to thirty seconds.  Make sure water stays near the trunk of the tree by keeping the water at a moderate flow; otherwise it will spread out further than you want and disturb soil or mulch around the tree.

Avoid watering leaves and foliage as this can promote fungus and disease.  Plants absorb water for their leaves through their root system.

Hydrangeas are a common plant that needs especially consistent watering.  They are the very first to show that they are in distress (you will see the droopy leaves on the plant).  Hose watering for a slow count to twenty should do the trick every night until the droopiness is gone.  Water diligently for the first year to help those roots establish!

Watering should be done until we are hit with our first heavy frost in the fall, usually at the end of October.  This signals the trees to go dormant (“go to sleep”) for the winter, so they won’t have the same watering needs. However, in hot summer conditions we are all thirsty - our kids, pets, and even our plants and trees! They are living organisms that require attention and feel things just as we do. I’m sure we all appreciate a cool drink at the end of a hot summer day.

Take care of your gardens as you would yourself, and your plants will thank you for it. We wish you happy gardening, and all the best for a beautiful summer season.