This will be my last blog from the Curious Gardener's Almanac because I have to take it back to the library. It's overdue and I can't renew it again since I already have two or three times! *Six ways to conserve water in your gardens 1.Put plants with similar moisture requirements close together so that you can water them in one good dousing rather than having to visit various different areas to give them all a good soaking. 2. Mulch your plants with compost, straw, dead leaves or bark chips. You can also encircle the base of larger plants with stones, which stops them from drying out quickly in hot weather. 3.Improve the water-retaining qualities of your earth by digging in lots of organic matter. 4.Place thirstier plants in positions where they will benefit from water running down any slopes you may have. 5.Place drought-tolerant plants like lavender and rosemary in positions where they will shelter their thirstier friends from the dehydrating effects of the wind. 6. Place a rain barrel under eaves trough to collect rainwater. 7.Don't water your lawn. *A well watered lawn will look great for a week or two, but you will have created a rod for your own back because it will start to expect another dousing. Grass is a tough plant and can survive very long stretches without water. It can survive up to eight months without rain. Something to think about: In one hour the average sprinkler uses the equivalent of two days' water consumption by a family of four. The average family uses approximately 500 litres of pure water per day. My daughter did a water unit in her science class and some of the statistics are very shocking. The class did a collective website so if you're interested, here's the website. www.waterwarriors.pbwiki.com