For gardeners, summer is the best of times and the worst of times. Plants thrive in the hot weather and put down deep roots from heavy rains, but those same conditions can wreak havoc on plants. Stepping away for a summer vacation can mean leaving plants vulnerable to a hot drought or leaving an irrigation system to keep watering during summer storms, both of which can be ruinous for a garden. That's why Luke Hammond, expert gardener atSeedtime, a garden planning and management app, recommends gardeners automate their irrigation with the latest generation of smart irrigation controllers. "I have found that consistency and ability to water my garden remotely has been a real game changer," Hammond says. In previous generations of hose-end irrigation timers, the available settings were more basic and simple. You could choose times and days of week to water, but that couldn't account for when the garden needed more or less water. (MORE:Should You Turn Off The A/C?) The new generation of smart irrigation, though, is able to monitor local weather data and use that information to adjust your garden's watering schedule. Options like theB-Hyve by Orbitand theRachio 3have been rated highly on their ability to use forecasts to adjust your watering schedule. Even with the built-in knowledge of smart irrigation, you'll still need to plan the best times and uses for your area. "Take into consideration evaporation and other weather conditions. Automated sprinklers in the wind and midday may not give you the desired coverage and adequate water amount," Hammond says. "In arid areas, sometimes irrigation is a great way to cool soils and plants. In this case, afternoon irrigation can be used as an evaporative cooling technique, but the watering may not be deep enough so make sure you are getting deep water to your plants." As an added benefit, these automated systems are able to save water by limiting the amount of unnecessary irrigation used. That should make summer just a little easier in the garden. MORE ON WEATHER.COM -Summer Is Coming And So Are Mosquitos -Your Sprinklers Are Wasting Money -Gardening With Native Plants Will Save You Time