Living in the San Diego means that even in good years there isn't a lot of rain. Things get even worse during droughts, when they start asking residents to conserve, set up rules on when you can water and recommend other steps. During these times it can be quite difficult to maintain a lawn or garden.

The steps you may need to take may seem a little extreme, but they can be necessary, depending on the current condition of your garden.

If your soil is not retaining water well, you may need to go so far as to remove all your plants. No, you aren't doing away with your garden. Instead, you are giving yourself room to mix in compost. This can help to improve how well your garden retains water. Unlike us, soil needs to retain water!

Once this is done you can put the plants back. Feel free to rearrange your garden at this point. You can group the plants that need more or less water together if you like how they look and want to make the watering you do as effective as possible.

A great tool for drought conditions is the drip irrigation system. The lets you keep water evaporation during watering to just the minimum, and place water mostly right where it needs to be. You can buy the equipment easily or create your own. My husband did this by taking a regular hose, and drilling small holes into it right where the plants were.

In a serious drought you may want to take a look at the kinds of plants you have and consider replacing the ones that need the most water with drought resistant ones. You can make a very attractive yard with drought resistant plants if you do your research. There are beautiful, flowering plants available that are quite drought tolerant.

Droughts aren't pleasant when they lead to water restrictions, but you can still maintain a beautiful garden. Even if you aren't in a drought now, if you live in a drought prone area, creating a drought resistant garden is a good move at any time.