Rainfall in the month of August was just over 50% of normal. More dry weather is expected for the start of September. Although the sunny and dry weather is nice, rainfall is needed as seen by the U.S. Drought Monitor.
As of August 31 much of the area was abnormally dry with areas in NJ under a moderate drought. Looking at a graphic like that rainfall will not be considered a bad thing.
To care for a lawn make sure you raise the blade a bit on the mower and keep the clippings in the yard. This will help the soil retain moisture.
Make sure that you have a good covering of mulch over your soil. This helps conserve water and reduce evaporation. At least an inch but no need to have it any thicker than 3 inches.
If you are permitted to water then don't just spray the entire plant. This wastes water and can actually be harmful to the plant. Instead get a good soaking of water on the roots. You may be better off by pouring the water from the container onto the base of the plant. Try placing a container under a downspout to collect rain water and use that to water the plants if you really need to conserve water.
If you lost some plants this year and want to replace them try these drought-resistant plants according to plant green.com.
1. Asters
2. Bee Balm (Monarda)
3. Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia)
4. Coreopsis
5. Echinops
6. Gaillardia
7. Heliopsis
8. Hyssop (Agastache)
9. Lavender
10. Liatris
11. Purple Coneflower (Echinacea)
12. Russian Sage
13. Salvia
14. Sundrops
15. Yarrow
