Save those 1-gallon plastic milk jugs! They're invaluable for watering plants. After planting perennials or small nursery stock (use several jugs for shrubs and small trees), simply put 3-5 pin holes in the bottom of the jug, remove the plastic cap and sit the jug right next to the plant. In five or six hours, all the water will slowly drip into the ground and can be uptaken by the plant. Adding a fertilizer 5-25-5 or something similar with a high phosphorous number) is a good idea. To keep the jug from blowing away after its water is exhausted, simply tie a piece of string through the jug's handle and to a bamboo stake driven into the ground near the plant; never tie the jug to the plant.

In addition to having a wonderfully easy drip system at your disposal, you've helped to recycle plastic from the landfills and dumps, since the plastic will last for many years.

Remember to keep the cap to each jug, so that when you fill it and take it to plant for irrigation, you can turn it upside down with the cap in place until you sit it next to the plant or shrub.