I was thinking that if I planted in containers, I would be able to include water saving crystals. Also, containers could be set closer to the house. The other option would be to plant the dahlias in the garden where I have two wine barrel halves buried in the ground. Since those are containers, I think I could add the water crystals to them. I'm not sure about it, since I haven't used them before. Has anyone had experience with these? I don't think the wine barrels would accommodate all the plants I have as well. I do have an old drip irrigation system in need of repair. I am worried that the cost of fixing the irrigation will be expensive, but I would be able to plant the dahlias in a larger area. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Is there anyone else that is being affected by the drought? Have you made changes to conserve water?

Mulching is also very helpful for water conservation. Plastic mulch (Polyethylene sheeting) will conserve moisture the best. Use white plastic rather than black or clear if you are in a very hot climate. If you can put drip irrigation under the plastic that is the best. If you can expect some rain it would be good to contour your soil so that the water pools at the base of the plant especially if you are using plastic otherwise that precious rain will run off and not get absorbed into the ground.

My main benefit to containers would to avoid carrying waste water down a pretty steep hill. I've been looking into it some more. Grey water systems are more affordable than I thought, and would hook up easily to the laundry outlet.