WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Teucrium fruticans ssp. & cvs., WUCOLS IV

How often to water bush germander in California

In July in the Central Valley, established bush germander 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. Bush germander is a dense, twiggy evergreen shrub from the Mediterranean, 4 to 8 feet tall and wide. Its small gray-green leaves are silver beneath, on downy white stems. Tiny lavender-blue flowers buzz with bees from winter into summer. It takes wind, salt spray, drought and poor, rocky soil, and it looks best with occasional water.

ShrubUC Arboretum All-StarRated for 6 of 6 zones

How often to water bush germander, 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 bush germander 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

  • A young bush germander with ground dry 4 inches deep under its branches in a first summer is ready for a long drink
  • Silver leaves curling and dropping inside the shrub in a long hot spell can indicate drought stress
  • Lush, rangy growth that flops open points to rich soil and too much water
  • Stems blackening from the base in waterlogged soil suggest overwatering or poor drainage

How to water it

  • Water under the outer branches with drip or a slow hose
  • Wet the root zone deeply, then hold off until it has dried well down
  • Choose full sun and gritty, fast-draining soil, even poor or rocky ground
  • Shear once a year to keep a tight shape, or clip it into a formal hedge
  • Skip rich amendments, which make it lush and rangy

Through the seasons

Water a new bush germander regularly through its first summer, then taper to occasional deep soaks. Established shrubs tolerate drought but look best with some summer water. It is evergreen and blooms from winter into summer, often longer. Annual pruning keeps it from turning unkempt. All four coastal and inland western regions, the north-central coast, the Central Valley, the south coast and South Inland, list bush germander as low water in WUCOLS. Desert gardens, high and low alike, carry a moderate water rating, so check soil more often there.

In pots

Bush germander can be clipped into a tidy shape in a large pot of gritty mix in full sun. Check the mix with a finger, and water only once the top two inches feel dry. Pour until it runs from the holes, then let the pot drain. In summer heat, check every few days. Empty the saucer each time. Shear after the main bloom to keep it compact. In winter, rain often covers its needs, so check the mix first.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
1.07gal per sq ft in JulyLow water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
6.84 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
0.761.52.33.00.16JAN0.26FEB0.43MAR0.61APR0.83MAY0.99JUN1.07JUL0.95AUG0.72SEP0.47OCT0.22NOV0.14DEC0.761.52.33.00.16JFM0.61AMJ1.07JAS0.47OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 1.07 in Jul, 6.84 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

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

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.160.310.310.740.78
Feb0.210.260.320.350.930.93
Mar0.350.430.460.521.461.52
Apr0.470.610.560.641.891.95
May0.580.830.640.782.392.45
Jun0.640.990.690.922.852.79
Jul0.641.070.7913.042.85
Aug0.60.950.740.932.792.6
Sep0.50.720.60.742.142.08
Oct0.350.470.460.531.461.49
Nov0.190.220.330.360.930.96
Dec0.120.140.260.270.650.68
Year4.86.846.27.3721.2721.08

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 bush germander. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

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 bush germander, 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 bush germander in summer?

In July, established bush germander 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 22 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 bush germander need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established bush germander 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 bush germander change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates bush germander 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, low water in the South Inland zone, moderate water in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, moderate water in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

Can bush germander be a hedge?

Yes, it shears well into formal hedges or topiary. It can also be left loose and natural. Water a hedge along its full length.

Is bush germander deer resistant?

Yes, it is deer resistant. Bees love its flowers. Damage usually comes from wet soil.

Can bush germander grow near the ocean?

Yes, it is extremely durable in wind and salt spray. Coastal gardens suit it well. Check young plants more often in drying wind.

Why is my bush germander leggy?

Rich soil and too much water make it lush and rangy. Prune it each year and grow it lean. Shade also loosens its shape.

Is there a smaller bush germander?

Yes, 'Azureum' grows about 4 to 5 feet with darker blue flowers, and 'Compactum' is lower still. They need the same lean soil and drainage. Pruning keeps them smaller.

More plant watering guides

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Sources