rock verbenaVerbena tenera (pulchella)Ground cover, Perennial- NCL
- CV?
- SCL
- SIM
- HDM
- LDM
Ground covers rated for California: water needs by climate zone
Each plant shows its water use rating for each of the six California climate zones. Minutes opens the sprinkler calculator with the plant and a climate city preset.
Page 2 of 2: rock verbena to yerba mansa.
rock verbenaVerbena tenera (pulchella)Ground cover, Perennial
rockroseCistus & spp. and cvs.Ground cover, Shrub- NCL
- CVL
- SCL
- SIL
- HDM
- LDM
rosemaryRosmarinus cvs.Ground cover, Shrub- NCL
- CVL
- SCL
- SIL
- HDM
- LDM
Rosy Dawn manzanitaArctostaphylos edmundsii 'Rosy Dawn'Ground cover, Shrub, California native- NCL
- CVM
- SCL
- SI×
- HD×
- LD×
royal bluebellWahlenbergia gloriosaGround cover, Perennial- NCM
- CV?
- SCM
- SI?
- HD?
- LD?
royal flush monopsisMonopsis unidentata 'Royal Flush'Ground cover- NC?
- CV?
- SC?
- SI?
- HD?
- LD?
Rozanne geraniumGeranium 'Gerwat'Ground cover, Perennial- NCM
- CVM
- SC?
- SI?
- HD?
- LD?
sagebrushArtemisia spp. (shrubby)Ground cover, Shrub- NCVL
- CVL
- SCL
- SIL
- HDL
- LDL
saltbushAtriplex (CA native species) & ssp. & cvs.Ground cover, Shrub, California native- NCVL
- CVVL
- SCVL
- SIVL
- HDL
- LDL
San Bruno Mtn manzanitaArctostaphylos uva-ursi 'San Bruno Mountain'Ground cover, California native- NCL
- CVM
- SC?
- SI×
- HD×
- LD×
San Diego ragweedAmbrosia pumilaGround cover, California native- NC?
- CVVL
- SCVL
- SIVL
- HD?
- LD?
San Simeon ceanothusCeanothus hearstiorumGround cover, California native- NCL
- CV×
- SC?
- SI×
- HD×
- LD×
Scotch mossSagina subulata 'Aurea'Ground cover, Perennial- NCM
- CVM
- SCM
- SIH
- HD×
- LD×
self healPrunella spp. (CA native and non-native species)Ground cover, Perennial, California native- NCM
- CVM
- SCM
- SIM
- HD?
- LD?
Serbian bell flowerCampanula poscharskyanaGround cover- NCM
- CVM
- SCM
- SIM
- HD×
- LD×
shamrock peaParochetus communisGround cover- NCM
- CVH
- SC?
- SI?
- HD?
- LD?
Siberian cypressMicrobiota decussataGround cover, Shrub- NCM
- CV?
- SCM
- SI?
- HD?
- LD?
Sichuan Jade solomon's sealDisporopsis pernyi 'Sichuan Jade'Ground cover- NC?
- CV?
- SC?
- SI?
- HD?
- LD?
Sidewinder California fuchsiaEpilobium canum 'Sidewinder'Ground cover, Perennial, California native- NCL
- CVL
- SC?
- SI?
- HD?
- LD?
silver carpetDymondia margaretaeGround cover- NC?
- CVL
- SC?
- SI?
- HD?
- LD?
silver leaf pony's footDichondra sericeaGround cover- NCL
- CVH
- SCH
- SIM
- HD×
- LD×
silver vein creeperParthenocissus henryanaGround cover, Vine- NCM
- CVM
- SCM
- SIM
- HD?
- LD?
skunk bushRhus trilobata ssp. & cvs.Ground cover, Shrub, California native- NCL
- CVL
- SCL
- SIL
- HD?
- LD?
snow in summerCerastium tomentosumGround cover, Arboretum All-Star- NCM
- CVL
- SCM
- SIM
- HDM
- LDM
snowflake sageSalvia chionophyllaGround cover, Perennial- NCL
- CV?
- SCL
- SIL
- HD?
- LD?
Sonoma sageSalvia 'Dara's Choice'Ground cover, Perennial, California native- NCL
- CVL
- SCL
- SIL
- HD?
- LD?
Sonoma sageSalvia sonomensis and cvs.Ground cover, Perennial, California native- NCL
- CVL
- SCL
- SIL
- HD?
- LD?
South African geraniumPelargonium sidoidesGround cover, Perennial- NCM
- CVL
- SCL
- SIL
- HD×
- LD×
southern mountain miseryChamaebatia australisGround cover, California native- NC?
- CV×
- SC?
- SIL
- HD?
- LD?
speedwellVeronica repensGround cover, Perennial- NCM
- CVM
- SCM
- SI×
- HD×
- LD×
spotted deadnettleLamium maculatumGround cover- NCM
- CVM
- SCM
- SIM
- HD?
- LD?
spreading gum plantGrindelia stricta var. platyphyllaGround cover, California native- NCL
- CVM
- SCL
- SIL
- HD?
- LD?
spring cinquefoilPotentilla neumannianaGround cover- NCM
- CVM
- SCM
- SIM
- HD×
- LDM
spring cinquefoilPotentilla vernaGround cover- NCM
- CVM
- SCM
- SIM
- HDM
- LDM
spur flowerPlectranthus ciliatus 'Drege' (shade)Ground cover, Perennial- NC?
- CV?
- SCM
- SI?
- HD?
- LD?
star jasmineTrachelospermum jasminoides and cvs.Ground cover, Shrub, Vine- NCM
- CVM
- SCM
- SIM
- HDM
- LDM
Starn coyote brushBaccharis 'Starn' & ssp. & cvs.Ground cover, Shrub, California native- NCL
- CVVL
- SCVL
- SIL
- HDL
- LDL
stone cropSedum spp. & cvs. (some are Hylotelephium)Ground cover, Perennial, Succulent, California native- NCL
- CVL
- SCL
- SIL
- HD×
- LD?
strawberryFragaria spp. & cvs. (CA native and non-natives species)Ground cover, California native- NCM
- CVM
- SCL
- SIM
- HDM
- LDM
- NCM
- CVH
- SCM
- SIM
- HD?
- LD?
Swedish ivyPlectranthus verticillatusGround cover, Perennial- NCM
- CV×
- SCM
- SIM
- HD?
- LD?
Sweet Drift roseRosa 'Meiswetdom' Sweet Drift®Ground cover, Shrub- NC?
- CVL
- SCL
- SI?
- HD?
- LD?
sweet sarcococcaSarcococca hookeriana humilisGround cover, Shrub- NCL
- CVM
- SCM
- SIM
- HD×
- LD×
sweet violetViola odorataGround cover, Perennial- NCM
- CVM
- SCM
- SIH
- HD?
- LD?
tea treeLeptospermum rupestre (humifusum)Ground cover, Shrub- NCL
- CVM
- SCL
- SI?
- HD×
- LD×
Theodore Payne buckwheatEriogonum fasciculatum 'Theodore Payne'Ground cover, California native- NCL
- CVL
- SCVL
- SIVL
- HD?
- LD?
thymeThymus spp. and cvs.Ground cover, Perennial- NCL
- CVM
- SCL
- SIM
- HDM
- LDM
Tom's Point manzanitaArctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Tom's Point'Ground cover, California native- NCL
- CVM
- SC?
- SI×
- HD×
- LD×
trailing daisyWedelia trilobataGround cover, Perennial- NC?
- CVM
- SCM
- SI?
- HDM
- LDM
trailing indigo bushDalea greggiiGround cover- NCL
- CV×
- SCL
- SIL
- HDL
- LDL
trailing lantanaLantana montevidensis (sellowiana) ssp. & cvs.Ground cover, Shrub- NCL
- CVL
- SCL
- SIL
- HDM
- LDM
Valley Violet ceanothusCeanothus maritimus 'Valley Violet'Ground cover, California native, Arboretum All-Star- NCL
- CVL
- SCL
- SIL
- HD×
- LD×
Vancouver Gold genistaGenista pilosa 'Vancouver Gold'Ground cover, Shrub- NCM
- CVM
- SC×
- SIM
- HD?
- LD?
Vancouver Jade BarberryArctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Vancouver Jade'Ground cover- NCL
- CVL
- SCL
- SI×
- HD?
- LD×
variegated dwarf myrtleHypocalymma cordifolium 'Golden Veil'Ground cover- NCM
- CV?
- SC?
- SI?
- HD?
- LD?
variegated mintleafPlectranthus madagascariensis 'Variegated Mintleaf'Ground cover, Perennial- NC?
- CV?
- SCM
- SIM
- HD?
- LD?
Verde Vista coprosmaCoprosma petriei 'Verde Vista'Ground cover, Shrub- NCL
- CVL
- SCM
- SIM
- HD×
- LD×
vervainVerbena rigidaGround cover, Perennial- NCL
- CVM
- SCL
- SIL
- HDM
- LDM
Virginia creeperParthenocissus quinquefolia ssp. & cvs.Ground cover, Vine- NCM
- CVM
- SCM
- SIM
- HDM
- LDM
Warriner Lytle buckwheatEriogonum fasciculatum 'Warriner Lytle'Ground cover, California native- NCL
- CVL
- SCVL
- SIVL
- HD?
- LD?
Wayside manzanitaArctostaphylos hookeri 'Wayside'Ground cover, Shrub, California native- NCL
- CVL
- SCL
- SIL
- HD×
- LD×
western sea purslaneSesuvium verrucosumGround cover, California native- NC?
- CV?
- SC?
- SI?
- HD×
- LD×
white cloverTrifolium repensGround cover- NCM
- CV×
- SCH
- SIH
- HD?
- LD?
White Drift® roseRosa 'Meizorland'Ground cover, Shrub- NCM
- CVM
- SC?
- SI?
- HD?
- LD?
white harebellWahlenbergia congestaGround cover, Perennial- NCM
- CV?
- SCM
- SI?
- HD?
- LD?
white striped dwarf bambooSasaella masamuneana albostriataGround cover, Shrub, Bamboo- NCM
- CV?
- SCM
- SI?
- HD?
- LD?
wild gingerAsarum caudatumGround cover, Perennial, California native- NCM
- CVM
- SCH
- SI×
- HD×
- LD×
willowleaf cotoneasterCotoneaster salicifolius 'Emerald Carpet'Ground cover- NC?
- CV?
- SC?
- SIM
- HD?
- LD×
willowleaf cotoneasterCotoneaster salicifolius 'Repens'Ground cover- NCM
- CV?
- SC?
- SIM
- HD?
- LD×
Winter Glow manzanitaArctostaphylos 'Winterglow'Ground cover, Shrub, California native- NCM
- CV?
- SCL
- SIM
- HD×
- LD×
Wood's compact manzanitaArctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Wood's Compact'Ground cover, California native- NCL
- CVM
- SCL
- SI×
- HD×
- LD×
woolly stemodiaStemodia tomentosaGround cover- NC?
- CV?
- SC?
- SI?
- HD?
- LD?
woolly yarrowAchillea tomentosaGround cover, Perennial- NCL
- CVL
- SCM
- SIM
- HD?
- LD?
yarrowAchillea millefolium (CA native cultivars)Ground cover, Perennial, California native- NCL
- CVL
- SCL
- SIL
- HDL
- LDL
yarrow (non-native hybrids)Achillea millefolium (non-native hybrids)Ground cover, Perennial- NCL
- CVL
- SCL
- SIL
- HDL
- LDL
yellow archangelLamiastrum galeobdolonGround cover, Perennial- NCM
- CVM
- SCM
- SI?
- HD?
- LD?
yellow flowered mossDraba oligospermaGround cover, California native- NC?
- CV?
- SC?
- SI?
- HD?
- LD?
yerba mansaAnemopsis californicaGround cover, Perennial, California native- NCH
- CVM
- SCM
- SIM
- HDH
- LD?
Photo credits, 77 images from Wikimedia Commons
- rock verbena: Rillke, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- rockrose: Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- rosemary: Donovan Govan., CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- Rosy Dawn manzanita: John Rusk from Berkeley, CA, United States of America, CC BY 2.0 (licence)
- royal bluebell: NathanHurst at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- royal flush monopsis: Ragnhild&Neil Crawford from Sweden, CC BY-SA 2.0 (licence)
- Rozanne geranium: ShadowBee, CC BY-SA 4.0 (licence)
- sagebrush: AnRo0002, CC0 (licence)
- saltbush: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- San Bruno Mtn manzanita: Robert Flogaus-Faust, CC BY 4.0 (licence)
- San Diego ragweed: Pacific Southwest Region USFWS from Sacramento, US, Public domain
- San Simeon ceanothus: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- Scotch moss: Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, CC BY-SA 4.0 (licence)
- self heal: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- Serbian bell flower: Kurt Stüber, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- shamrock pea: Woudloper, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- Siberian cypress: epopov, CC BY 4.0 (licence)
- Sichuan Jade solomon's seal: Motohiro Sunouchi, CC BY 4.0 (licence)
- Sidewinder California fuchsia: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- silver carpet: Daderot, Public domain
- silver leaf pony's foot: Fernando Lopez Anido, CC BY-SA 4.0 (licence)
- silver vein creeper: Rachida Boutboul, CC0 (licence)
- skunk bush: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- snow in summer: Ra'ike, CC BY-SA 2.0 de (licence)
- snowflake sage: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0 (licence)
- Sonoma sage: Geoprofi Lars, CC BY-SA 4.0 (licence)
- Sonoma sage: Stickpen, Public domain
- South African geranium: Photo by and (c)2006 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man). Location credit to the Chanticle..., CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- southern mountain misery: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- speedwell: Kurt Stüber, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- spotted deadnettle: Tomasz Kuran aka Meteor2017, CC BY 2.5 (licence)
- spreading gum plant: Dawn Endico from Menlo Park, California, CC BY-SA 2.0 (licence)
- spring cinquefoil: Christian Hummert (Ixitixel), CC BY-SA 2.5 (licence)
- spring cinquefoil: Daniel VILLAFRUELA., CC BY-SA 4.0 (licence)
- spur flower: Krzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0 (licence)
- star jasmine: Scott Zona from USA, CC BY 2.0 (licence)
- Starn coyote brush: Patricio Cowper Coles, CC BY 4.0 (licence)
- stone crop: Sannse, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- strawberry: xulescu_g, CC BY-SA 2.0 (licence)
- Swedish ivy: Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 (licence)
- Sweet Drift rose: Laitche, CC BY 3.0 (licence)
- sweet sarcococca: Dominicus Johannes Bergsma, CC BY-SA 4.0 (licence)
- sweet violet: Fritz Geller-Grimm, CC BY-SA 2.5 (licence)
- tea tree: JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/), CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- Theodore Payne buckwheat: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- thyme: Naturpuur, CC BY 4.0 (licence)
- Tom's Point manzanita: Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, CC BY-SA 4.0 (licence)
- trailing daisy: Dinesh Valke from Thane, India, CC BY-SA 2.0 (licence)
- trailing indigo bush: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- trailing lantana: Prenn, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- Valley Violet ceanothus: John Rusk from Berkeley, CA, United States of America, CC BY 2.0 (licence)
- Vancouver Gold genista: Christian Fischer, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- Vancouver Jade Barberry: Robert Flogaus-Faust, CC BY 4.0 (licence)
- variegated dwarf myrtle: 阿橋 HQ, CC BY-SA 2.0 (licence)
- variegated mintleaf: Dysmorodrepanis, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- Verde Vista coprosma: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- vervain: Franz Xaver, CC BY-SA 4.0 (licence)
- Virginia creeper: Tasja, Public domain
- Warriner Lytle buckwheat: NPS, Public domain
- Wayside manzanita: Pacific Southwest Region USFWS from Sacramento, US, Public domain
- western sea purslane: Stephen Laymon, Bureau of Land Management, Public domain
- white clover: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0 (licence)
- White Drift® rose: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 (licence)
- white harebell: Ton Rulkens from Mozambique, CC BY-SA 2.0 (licence)
- white striped dwarf bamboo: Daderot, Public domain
- wild ginger: Walter Siegmund, CC BY 2.5 (licence)
- willowleaf cotoneaster: Andrea Moro, CC BY-SA 4.0 (licence)
- willowleaf cotoneaster: Françoise Carle, CC BY-SA 2.0 fr (licence)
- Winter Glow manzanita: NPS, Public domain
- Wood's compact manzanita: Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, CC BY-SA 4.0 (licence)
- woolly stemodia: Berton, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- woolly yarrow: Ghislain118 https://www.fleurs-des-montagnes.net, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- yarrow: O. Pichard, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- yarrow (non-native hybrids): Ayotte, Gilles, 1948-, CC BY-SA 4.0 (licence)
- yellow archangel: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0 (licence)
- yellow flowered moss: JW Stockert, Public domain
- yerba mansa: Calibas, Public domain
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Zones: NC North-Central Coastal, CV Central Valley, SC South Coastal, SI South Inland, HD High and Intermediate Desert, LD Low Desert. Ratings: VL very low water, L low, M moderate, H high, ? not rated for that zone, × not suited to that zone. Ratings are the University of California WUCOLS IV list.
How to use this list
- MinutesOpen the calculator with this plant set. The preset city is in a zone where WUCOLS rates the plant. Set your sprinkler type and watering days.
- GuideRead a plant watering guide. Links appear for plants covered by our 1023 written guides.
- PlanBuild your personal watering plan. Put your plants and city together for monthly sprinkler minutes on a printable sheet.
Sources
- WUCOLS IV plant list, University of California, snapshot of the live databaseRead August 23, 2026 on ucanr.edu/sites/WUCOLS
- Appendix C reference evapotranspiration table behind the six zonesRead 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