Irrigation is certainly something you plan for in the initial landscape design, but are you really thinking through the possible scenarios?
Seasonal gardens and planters are huge in today’s landscapes and rightfully so. They allow style and color changes from season to season in an otherwise “fixed” landscape of shrubs and trees. They let people really express their tastes and celebrate each new season.
But these ever-changing plantings have particular watering requirements. It will depend on factors such as the type of plant and if they are newly planted or established, are they growing in the ground or in a planter, and other factors as well.
A Major Watering Concern
What you must consider when irrigating these seasonal gardens and features is the impact this watering will have on the trees and shrubs in these areas. If the seasonal plants are being watered frequently (which is often the case), there is the possibility that the trees and shrubs could be over-watered. This can sometimes cause irreparable damage.
I frequently use remote faucets on my projects, strategically placed so that a short length of hose enables someone to water just those new and/or seasonal plantings without over-watering the neighboring trees and shrubs. Plus, these remote faucets are just handy in the event you need water for any reason and you’re quite a distance from the house.
We integrate them with the pressurized main water line for the sprinkler system so they are active during the “growing seasons” and then winterized in the fall.
If possible, consider these remote faucets when the landscape project is in the planning stage or is just started. It’s much easier to get the necessary pipe in the ground during the “site-work” phase of the job.
If by design your sprinkler system does not have a pressurized, PVC main, avoid using poly pipe that would be pressurized constantly. Poly pipe and its fittings are not meant to be under constant pressure.