SEATTLE — Watering your garden is important during the peak of summer, but you don’t want to just blast your plants with a hose, says gardening expert Ciscoe Morris. Using the right tools can make all the difference when it comes to home hydration. Plus the right tool can make this garden chore a pleasure.
“One of the best ways to water is to use the soaker hose, because it puts the water right next to the plants. You don't waste anything,” said Ciscoe. “But there's something you got to remember. It's hard to remember when you turn on a soaker hose. My friend put one along their house right before they went on a trip, and when they came back two days later, their basement was full of water. They forgot to turn it off!”
Ciscoe recommends preventing disaster by putting a timer between the hose and your faucet and setting any soaker on a timer.
“I'm not gonna flood my basement and my plants will get a lot of good water," he said.
Ciscoe likes to use a Rain Wand to water some of his larger flower beds to cater to the variety of plants they contain.
"OK, look at the size of this bed. Lots of stuff. I need to water, but I can't use an oscillating sprinkler or just spray away, because if this Blue Atlas Cedar right there gets wet it gets a disease that could kill it,” he said. “So, this is an extension Rain Wand, so you can extend that out to the length you want. And now I can water way deep in there without having to worry about getting that Atlas cedar wet.”
Ciscoe saved an old school watering method for his last project, some tall and fragile delphiniums.
“Sometimes you get a little tired of dragging hoses for miles. And these delphiniums, you can knock them down with a spray of water so easily. So, a good old watering can be the trick, because it really puts the water down nice and gently,” he said.
Plus, there’s something kind of Zen about imitating a gentle rain in the middle of summer with a big red watering can.
“You can water your delicate plants," Ciscoe said. "You won't knock them over. They get a good drink. Life is good. Oh la la!”
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