Is an automatic garden irrigation system without a cistern worthwhile?

Honestly, I never mow. I only have plaster as a wall covering – that’s completely sufficient for me. Unfortunately, now I have to write "irony" because you’re not allowed to wink. Seriously. The dried-up lawn (which, despite everything, has remained manageable in recent years) hardly interests anyone here in the Lower Rhine region. The properties are usually larger anyway, and we don’t want to waste water completely. The lawn doesn’t mind either. In this respect, I stick to the fact that brown grass is so not a big deal. I prefer to enjoy the great flower beds and blooming plants. THAT’s what makes a garden, not just a green (or brown) and boring area.

I think both in harmony make the garden. Here, the flower beds are around and between the lawn. When the lawn is dried up (and that happens quickly here in Brandenburg on the Markish sand), it just looks terrible. But we only water where we spend a lot of time; in the back part of the garden it’s allowed to turn brown.

We have 652m2 of land and no irrigation. Apart from the drought summers, I haven’t had to water much so far. The lawn just gets less green over the course of the summer. Newly planted shrubs get support in the first years as well as the fruit trees if it is really dry. Everything else just has to survive. Only the vegetables are watered now and then, but since a lot is mulched here, that is hardly necessary. Those who can’t handle it just die – only the tough ones make it in the garden.

I prefer to garden according to the new conditions. I pay attention to drought-tolerant plants and mulch the vegetables heavily. The same goes for the raspberries, etc. Watering is done with about 2400 liters of rainwater collection capacity, which I have distributed throughout the garden in several rain barrels. Rainwater is better for the plants anyway than tap water. If I’m lazy and it’s very hot and dry and I have to water more, I use my submersible pump, which then brings the rainwater to the garden hose. Overall, I have come to the conclusion that it is easier to adapt to the new temperatures than to water the garden with hectoliters of drinking water. And it is more relaxing and ecological, and much cheaper besides.

Do yourself a favor and at least lay the groundwork with hose to later install pop-up sprinklers. And if you don’t want that, at least run a hose through empty conduit at a few points in the garden. Nothing is more annoying than dragging a 50m hose all over the property into every corner. It gets caught everywhere, tears down plants, knots itself. Botched job.

We just planted 50m of glossy ligustrum hedge, next to it a strip of lawn towards the boundary and a small earth embankment, plus about 15 shrubs, don’t ask me exactly what...
Now one of us spends 1.5 hours every 3 days with the shower through the garden watering it all.

Well, later, when the plants are properly established, it’ll be less and for that I’ve already laid a drip hose... but in the first year that stuff needs water, water, water. And best only every few days, but quickly and heavily, so the plant roots as deep as possible. Same goes for the lawn.
And even later. No one can tell me that they let their painstakingly created garden completely die off when there’s a drought summer like 2021 or 2022 and then next year they pull up the hedge and start from scratch.

That’s why we will only lay 100-150m² of lawn for the children on about 400m² of non-built-up area. Honestly, I wouldn’t need any lawn. Lawn is ecologically worthless and a real water waster.

I also don’t know what’s supposed to be expensive about automatic irrigation? A sprinkler 30, 35 EUR. Hose 1 EUR/m, drip hose 1.30-1.50 EUR/m. A Gardena controller with 3 time programs 100 EUR.
The advantage is also:
You can water at night, around 3 or 4 a.m. It’s coolest then and in summer much less evaporates than if you water in the morning or, worst case, late afternoon.

The question of whether irrigation is worthwhile is completely unnecessary.
Since you neither operate a golf course nor a football field, a perfectly watered garden is a luxury.
Luxury must be desired and affordable. It is like KNX or a garage.
Do you want it? Can you afford it? Then go ahead!

We are currently considering whether it would make sense to at least prepare it under the terrace in advance

The disadvantage is, of course, that only the garden would be watered, we cannot connect the front garden

We have a 25m hose to reach everywhere in the garden and even into the front garden

I think for daily watering we would need about 20-30 minutes

Do you think an extra water meter on the outdoor faucet is worth it? It always has to be calibrated

We are currently considering whether it would make sense to at least prepare it under the terrace in advance

The disadvantage is, of course, that only the garden would be watered; we cannot connect the front garden

We have a 25m hose to reach everywhere in the garden and even into the front garden

I think for the daily watering we would need about 20-30 minutes

Do you think an extra water meter on the outdoor faucet is worth it? It always has to be calibrated

You have to calculate the latter yourself. Try testing for 1 year how much water you need. Then ask the water company how much an extra meter costs. Here, you are allowed to buy it yourself in the hardware store, have it installed, and then have it inspected. And that every 5 years.

By the way, you don’t have to stand next to the watering since there are sprinklers in all varieties.