How often to water African boxwood in California
In July in the Central Valley, established African boxwood in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across, about 3.0 gallons a week. African boxwood is a tough, slow-growing evergreen shrub with tightly packed, small, dark green leaves on upright stems. New growth comes in deep red, a pleasing contrast with the older leaves. Its flowers are tiny and easy to miss. It grows across Africa and Asia in both summer- and winter-rain regions, and it handles drought once established.
How often to water African boxwood, month by month
Type your city above and the days between waterings and the gallons appear here, worked out from your city's climate table. Or read the figures by climate zone further down.
How this is worked out: established roots fill the top 1.5 feet of soil, and you water again when that soil has dried halfway. Loam soil holds about 1.5 inches of water per foot. Water the whole area the plant covers, and skip a watering after a good soaking rain.
How to tell it needs water
- Small leaves on African boxwood dulling or dropping while the soil is dry several inches down mean it needs water
- Red new shoots wilting in afternoon heat point to a dry root zone
- Inner leaves turning yellow in constantly damp ground mean you are watering too much
- Firm, glossy leaves through summer show it has enough water
How to water it
- Water deeply at the base, then let the soil dry a few inches down before the next soak
- Plant in sun to light shade in most well-drained soils
- Water a little more often in South Inland summer heat
- Use it as a small hedge, watering along the whole row
- Mulch the root zone, keeping it away from the stems
Through the seasons
Water a new shrub regularly through its first summer. Once established, it handles dry spells well across most of its range. Inland heat calls for more summer water. It is evergreen, with red new growth, and rain does most of the watering from late fall into spring. African boxwood gets a low water rating from WUCOLS on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley and on the south coast. WUCOLS rates it moderate water in South Inland. Neither desert suits it: WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the high desert and not suited to the low desert.
In pots
African boxwood grows slowly, so it stays in scale in a container for years as a neat potted accent. Choose a pot with good holes and a well-drained mix. Give it a full drink once the upper two inches feel dry. Through summer, feel the mix every few days, and pour off any water left in the saucer. Clip new growth to shape. During the rainy season, add water only if the mix goes dry, and shelter the pot if frost below about 20 degrees F is due.
- A year
- 6.84 gal per sq ft
- Reference
- Sacramento climate table
- Counts
- Plant need, before sprinkler losses
Monthly water need by climate zone
African Boxwood: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone
| Month | N. Coast | C. Valley | S. Coast | S. Inland | Hi Desert | Lo Desert |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.15 | 0.16 | 0.31 | 0.78 | – | – |
| Feb | 0.21 | 0.26 | 0.32 | 0.87 | – | – |
| Mar | 0.35 | 0.43 | 0.46 | 1.3 | – | – |
| Apr | 0.47 | 0.61 | 0.56 | 1.61 | – | – |
| May | 0.58 | 0.83 | 0.64 | 1.95 | – | – |
| Jun | 0.64 | 0.99 | 0.69 | 2.29 | – | – |
| Jul | 0.64 | 1.07 | 0.79 | 2.51 | – | – |
| Aug | 0.6 | 0.95 | 0.74 | 2.33 | – | – |
| Sep | 0.5 | 0.72 | 0.6 | 1.86 | – | – |
| Oct | 0.35 | 0.47 | 0.46 | 1.33 | – | – |
| Nov | 0.19 | 0.22 | 0.33 | 0.9 | – | – |
| Dec | 0.12 | 0.14 | 0.26 | 0.68 | – | – |
| Year | 4.8 | 6.84 | 6.2 | 18.41 | – | – |
How this is worked out: the WUCOLS water rating for each zone times that zone’s climate for the month. A dash means WUCOLS does not rate the plant there. The figures are what the plant uses, before sprinkler losses.
Plants with the same water needs 16
Rated low water in the Central Valley, like African boxwood. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.
LavenderLavandula spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
RosemaryRosmarinus officinalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
BougainvilleaBougainvillea & spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Olive TreesOlea europaea ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Crape MyrtleLagerstroemia spp., hybrids & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
LantanaLantana camara ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
SalviaSalvia greggii ssp., cvs. & hybridslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
AloeAloe spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
SucculentsEcheveria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
JunipersJuniperus spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Russian SagePerovskia spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
SagebrushArtemisia spp. (shrubby)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Wild PrivetLigustrum vulgarelow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
CoralberrySymphoricarpos orbiculatus (SHADE)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Sydney Golden WattleAcacia longifolialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Blue Leaf WattleAcacia salignalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyTurn this into minutes on your water days
Every city page has a calculator that takes African boxwood, your sprinkler type and the month, and gives the minutes per water day for that supplier's schedule. Or put it in a zone of the personal watering plan and get all twelve months printed.
Questions people ask
How often should I water African boxwood in summer?
In July, established African boxwood in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days in the Central Valley, about every 27 days on the south coast and about every 9 days in the South Inland zone. Sandy soil holds less water, so waterings come closer together. Clay stretches them. Check the soil before each watering and skip one after a soaking rain.
How much water does African boxwood need per day?
In July in the Central Valley, established African boxwood needs about 0.4 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 1.7 gallons a day for a plant 8 feet across. Give it in deep waterings spread days apart rather than a little every day, so the whole root zone gets wet.
Does watering for African boxwood change across California?
Yes. WUCOLS rates African boxwood separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, low water in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, moderate water in the South Inland zone, not suited to this region in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, not suited to this region in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.
Is African boxwood a true boxwood?
No, it is Myrsine, not Buxus. It only looks like boxwood with its small, dense leaves. Its new growth is deep red.
Does African boxwood have berries?
Male and female flowers grow on separate plants. Only females bear berries. Cutting-grown male plants bear none.
How big does African boxwood get?
It grows slowly to 4 to 8 feet tall and 3 to 6 feet wide. It forms a dense, upright shape. It makes a nice small hedge.
How cold can African boxwood take?
It is hardy to about 20 degrees F. Colder spells can damage it. Shelter potted plants in hard frost.
Is African boxwood poisonous?
It is flagged as possibly poisonous. Keep children and pets from chewing it. Wash your hands after pruning.
More plant watering guides
Sources
- WUCOLS IV plant water use classification for Myrsine africana, the University of California survey California agencies use for landscape plan reviewRead August 23, 2026 on wucols.ucdavis.edu
- Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance, adopted text and appendices, effective 2025-01-02 · monthly reference evapotranspiration per city, Appendix CRead August 23, 2026 on water.ca.gov/-/media/DWR-Website/Web-Pages/Programs/Water-Use-And-Efficiency/MWELO-Rulemaking/Final-MWELO-Text-and-Appendices_20250103.pdf
- UC Statewide IPM Program, irrigation scheduling using evapotranspirationRead September 30, 2026 on ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/ENVIRON/evap.html
- Shaw and Pittenger, Landscape Irrigation System Evaluation and Management, UC Cooperative Extension, 2009Read September 30, 2026 on ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2013-02/160836.pdf
- Pittenger, Water Management in Gardens and Landscapes, UC Riverside, 2017Read September 30, 2026 on ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2017-03/258022.pdf