Great questions and welcome to gardening. There is no set answer about when to water. Your climate but also your soil type and plants determine when. Learn to look for a dull or wilted look on the plants themselves to tell you when they are dry and also to feel the soil by poking your finger down into the soil.  Soil that is dry a few inches down can be watered.  Most plants like one inch of water a week so after the down pours your plants should be fine for a week at least. As for not blooming, if you have young shrubs it takes a few years for them to settle in and bloom well. If you fertilized make sure you used a plant food for flowering shrubs not one that is high in nitrogen. Some shrubs need sun to flower and some like gardenias like shade but need acid soil. Your best advice on specific plants in your area is to ask a local garden center or nursery or check in at a Master Gardener clinic about the specific soil in your area. My advice for feeding plants is to use an application of slow release all purpose plant food like Osmocote in the spring when you see signs of new growth.  Plants in container and hanging baskets need more plant food so mid summer you will want to feed these plants again with a water soluable plant food such as Miracle Grow to keep them flowering until frost.  Keep growing, Marianne Binetti