WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Clematis montana, WUCOLS IV

How often to water anemone clematis in California

In July on the north-central coast, established anemone clematis in loam needs a deep watering about every 13 days: about 2.2 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 1.1 gallons a week. Anemone clematis is a vigorous woody vine from the Himalayas and China that twines 16 to 40 feet up a sturdy support. In spring it covers itself with star-shaped flowers in blue, pink or purple, with a vanilla fragrance. It grows in sun or part shade in well-drained soil rich in organic matter, and all parts are poisonous.

VineRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water anemone clematis, month by month

Your city
Plant width
2 ft
Your soil

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.

Every month, on your water days. The personal plan prints this for anemone clematis and the rest of your yard, on the days your water supplier allows.Get the plan for $19

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.

Which soil do you have?

Dig down a few inches, take a handful of moist soil and squeeze it.

  • Sandy: gritty, falls apart when you open your hand, will not form a ball.
  • Loam: forms a soft ball that crumbles when you poke it.
  • Clay: forms a firm, sticky ball and squeezes out into a ribbon between thumb and finger.

Still not sure? Pick loam. Most garden beds sit between sand and clay.

How to measure plant width

A shrub with its width marked from one side to the other and the circle under it shaded blue

Measure across the plant, from the tips of the leaves on one side to the tips on the other.

Water the whole area the plant covers, shown in blue. The gallons here cover that area.

A wider plant means more gallons each watering, not more waterings. While it is young, measure again each spring.

How to tell it needs water

  • Soil dry 3 inches down at the base of the vine in summer means anemone clematis needs water
  • Young shoots wilting at the tips in afternoon heat can indicate thirst
  • Leaves browning and dropping along the lower stems can follow a dry root zone
  • Stems yellowing at the base in soggy soil point to poor drainage

How to water it

  • Water the base of the vine slowly with drip or a hose
  • Soak about 8 inches deep, then let the top couple of inches dry
  • Plant in sun or part shade in rich, well-drained, neutral to basic soil
  • Mulch or shade the roots to keep them cool and moist
  • Prune right after flowering, since it blooms on last year's growth

Through the seasons

Water a new vine regularly through its first summer while roots grow. Established plants want moderate, deep watering in dry weather and cool, mulched roots. It flowers in spring on stems grown the year before, so prune soon after bloom. Its fragrance draws bees, butterflies and hummingbirds through the flowering weeks. WUCOLS rates anemone clematis moderate water on the north-central coast and the south coast. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the Central Valley, South Inland, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Anemone clematis is vigorous, so a pot for it needs to be large and fitted with a sturdy trellis or set against a wall. Use a rich, well-drained mix. Water once the top inch or two is dry, until water drains from the base. A pot in summer sun can dry daily, so shade the container itself. Do not let it sit in water. In winter, water only when the mix dries.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
Not ratedWUCOLS does not rate Anemone Clematis for the Central Valley zone
A year
no figure
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses

WUCOLS lists Anemone Clematis as not evaluated for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Anemone Clematis: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.37–0.78–––
Feb0.53–0.81–––
Mar0.87–1.15–––
Apr1.18–1.4–––
May1.46–1.61–––
Jun1.61–1.74–––
Jul1.61–1.98–––
Aug1.49–1.86–––
Sep1.24–1.49–––
Oct0.87–1.15–––
Nov0.47–0.84–––
Dec0.31–0.65–––
Year12–15.5–––

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 10

Rated not evaluated in the Central Valley, like anemone clematis. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Variegated KiwiActinidia kolomiktanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPrivet-Leaved JasmineJasminum leratiinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingChilean BellflowerLapageria roseanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingEtruscan HoneysuckleLonicera etruscanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingTatarian HoneysuckleLonicera tataricanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingGolden Flame HoneysuckleLonicera x heckrottinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBrazilian NightshadeSolanum seaforthianumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAmur River GrapeVitis amurensisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingCrimson Glory VineVitis coignetiaenot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBeach Morning GloryCalystegia soldanellanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes anemone clematis, 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 much water does anemone clematis need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established anemone clematis needs about 0.2 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 0.7 gallons a day for a plant 4 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 anemone clematis change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates anemone clematis separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated in the Central Valley zone, moderate water in the South Coastal zone, not evaluated in the South Inland zone, not evaluated in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, not evaluated in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

When should I prune anemone clematis?

Prune right after it flowers in spring. It blooms on the previous season's growth. Late pruning removes next year's flowers.

How big does anemone clematis get?

It can climb 16 to 40 feet, depending on its support. Give it a strong fence, pergola or tree. Keep it away from small shrubs.

Is anemone clematis poisonous?

Yes, it has high severity poison characteristics. Keep pets and children from chewing it. Wear gloves when pruning.

Does anemone clematis smell good?

Many plants have a vanilla fragrance. Grow it near a patio or walkway. Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds visit it.

How do I keep clematis roots cool?

Mulch thickly or plant low shrubs at its base. Shade on the roots helps it handle heat. Water deeply during dry spells.

More plant watering guides

Chinese Strawberry TreeChinese AbeliaSpike Winter HazelButtercup Winter HazelSycamore MapleRedvein MapleFull Moon MapleManchurian Striped Maple

Sources