I get no rain from June through October, so irrigation takes precedence over everything else. I wasted a lot of time and money figuring out that simple is better with watering systems. Any system that depends on mini-sprinklers or a small number of precision openings is going to be a maintenance nightmare due to clogging by particles or mineral buildup. Drip always sounds nice, but a daylily bed needs wall-to-wall moisture, and most drip systems aren't designed for that purpose. Plastic or vinyl soakers are not reliable, or tough enough to survive sun and garden wear-and-tear.
Because many dissimilar products are called "soaker hose", it's hard to tell what we're talking about. My favorite and most successful is usually called "leaky" or 'weepy" hose—it's a round, rough looking hose about 3/4" in diameter, usually made from ground-up, recycled tire rubber. Have you ever tried that? Were you referring to that type of hose when you said that it sprayed the blooms and foliage?
Browsing online, I see that there are a lot of these "weepy hoses" available now. When I bought mine, there were only about three. The "weepy hose" I used is on the larger side, about 1/2" inside diameter, and designed to function best at low pressure, around 5-6 psi. I've used them on long narrow beds similar to yours. In order to prevent the occasional larger pore from spraying the foliage, the flow needs to be regulated and the system needs to be 'engineered' and tuned somewhat in order to balance the pressure throughout the system. But it's pretty simple to set up. If you're interested, I can elaborate. I think they're really the way to go, they've been very long-lasting for me, going on at least 10 years.
Ken
