WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Kolkwitzia amabilis, WUCOLS IV

How often to water beauty bush in California

In July in the Central Valley, established beauty bush in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across, about 7.6 gallons a week. Beauty bush is an old-fashioned deciduous shrub from China, upright and arching like a fountain, 8 to 12 feet tall and wide. In late spring it covers itself in sprays of pale pink, bell-shaped flowers with yellow throats. It grows easily in moist, well-drained soil, tolerates clay, and can become dense and leggy without pruning.

ShrubRated for 5 of 6 zones

How often to water beauty bush, month by month

Your city
Plant width
4 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 beauty bush 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 4 inches down under the shrub in summer signals beauty bush is ready for a soak
  • Leaves drooping at the branch tips through the afternoon can indicate thirst
  • Leaves browning and dropping early in late summer can follow a long dry spell
  • Yellowing leaves and soft stem bases over waterlogged soil suggest overwatering

How to water it

  • Water under the spread of the arching branches with drip or a soaker
  • Soak about a foot down, then let the top few inches dry
  • Plant in full sun for the best bloom, in moist, well-drained soil
  • Remove the oldest stems right after flowering, since it blooms on old wood
  • Mulch the root zone to hold moisture

Through the seasons

Water a new beauty bush regularly through its first summer while roots spread. Established shrubs take deeper, less frequent soaks. It is deciduous, flowering in late spring on last year's wood and resting bare in winter. Hard winter pruning cuts the next spring's bloom, so prune just after flowering. WUCOLS rates beauty bush low water on the north-central coast. The Central Valley, the south coast, South Inland and the high desert each carry a moderate water rating. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the low desert.

In pots

Beauty bush gets large, but a young plant can grow for a few years in a big container. Use well-drained mix and water when the top couple of inches dry, until water drains out. In summer, a pot can dry in a few days. Empty the saucer each time. Prune right after bloom, not in winter, to keep next year's flowers. In winter, while it is bare, water lightly when the mix dries.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
2.67gal per sq ft in JulyModerate water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
17.11 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
0.761.52.33.00.4JAN0.65FEB1.09MAR1.52APR2.08MAY2.48JUN2.67JUL2.39AUG1.8SEP1.18OCT0.56NOV0.34DEC0.761.52.33.00.4JFM1.52AMJ2.67JAS1.18OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 2.67 in Jul, 17.11 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Beauty Bush: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.40.780.780.74–
Feb0.210.650.810.870.93–
Mar0.351.091.151.31.46–
Apr0.471.521.41.611.89–
May0.582.081.611.952.39–
Jun0.642.481.742.292.85–
Jul0.642.671.982.513.04–
Aug0.62.391.862.332.79–
Sep0.51.81.491.862.14–
Oct0.351.181.151.331.46–
Nov0.190.560.840.90.93–
Dec0.120.340.650.680.65–
Year4.817.1115.518.4121.27–

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 moderate water in the Central Valley, like beauty bush. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

RosesRosa hybrids..bushmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyAzaleasRhododendron spp. (CA native and non-native spp.)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCamelliasCamellia japonica (SHADE IN DESERT)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGardeniasGardenia spp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBird of ParadiseStrelitzia reginae (shade in desert)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHibiscusHibiscus rosa-sinensismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySago PalmCycas revolutamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyStar JasmineTrachelospermum jasminoides and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyArborvitaeThuja occidentalis ssp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBambooBambusa spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyLilacsSyringa hybrids (including Descanso hybrids)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySpireaSpiraea spp. (CA native and non native spp.)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyButterfly BushBuddleja davidii and hybridsmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySageSalvia officinalis and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyRed BuckeyeAesculus paviamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyWestern ServiceberryAmelanchier alnifoliamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

Rated lower than beauty bush in the Central Valley. Worth a look for a new bed or a lawn replacement.

LavenderLavandula spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRosemaryRosmarinus officinalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBougainvilleaBougainvillea & spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyOlive TreesOlea europaea ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCrape MyrtleLagerstroemia spp., hybrids & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyLantanaLantana camara ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySalviaSalvia greggii ssp., cvs. & hybridslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyAloeAloe spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySucculentsEcheveria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyJunipersJuniperus spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRussian SagePerovskia spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySagebrushArtemisia spp. (shrubby)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyWild PrivetLigustrum vulgarelow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCoralberrySymphoricarpos orbiculatus (SHADE)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySydney Golden WattleAcacia longifolialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBlue Leaf WattleAcacia salignalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes beauty bush, 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 beauty bush in summer?

In July, established beauty bush in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days in the Central Valley, about every 11 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 beauty bush need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established beauty bush needs about 1.1 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 4.3 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 beauty bush change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates beauty bush separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, moderate water in the Central Valley zone, moderate water in the South Coastal zone, moderate water in the South Inland zone, moderate water 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.

When should I prune beauty bush?

Prune just after flowering, since it blooms on old wood. Remove the oldest stems at the base. Every few years, a hard cutback renews a leggy shrub.

Why is my beauty bush leggy?

With age, most of its leaves sit at the top of the stems. Removing old stems brings new growth from the base. A hard renewal cut fixes very leggy plants.

Does beauty bush need full sun?

It flowers best in full sun. Leaf color is best in light shade. Shade reduces bloom.

Is beauty bush deer resistant?

It is deer tolerant. It also tolerates clay soil.

Does beauty bush spread?

It spreads by suckering roots, but not aggressively. Remove unwanted suckers at the base. It can be massed as a screen or hedge.

More plant watering guides

PeriwinkleSweet VioletWeigelaAlliumMount Atlas DaisyPearly EverlastingPoppy AnemoneMonkey Puzzle Tree

Sources