WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Houttuynia cordata 'Chameleon', WUCOLS IV

How often to water chameleon houttuynia in California

In July in the Central Valley, established chameleon houttuynia in loam needs a deep watering about every 3 days: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 3.0 gallons a week. Chameleon houttuynia is a creeping groundcover with heart-shaped leaves splashed red, pink, yellow and cream, and small white flowers in summer. It does not tolerate drought and grows best in moist soil or even shallow standing water. Its rhizomes run deep and spread aggressively, so plan how to contain it before planting.

PerennialRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water chameleon houttuynia, 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 chameleon houttuynia 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 foot 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 an inch down among the stems in summer signals chameleon houttuynia needs water now
  • Leaf edges browning and the colored patches turning crisp can indicate the soil has dried
  • Whole stems wilting in afternoon sun can follow a dry root zone, since it has no drought tolerance
  • Holes and slime trails on leaves in damp shade point to slugs and snails, not a water problem

How to water it

  • Keep the soil constantly moist with drip or a soaker under the leaves
  • Water before the surface dries, since it does not tolerate drought
  • Plant in sun to shade in moist soil, or at a pond edge in an inch or two of water
  • Surround it with a buried barrier, pavement or a sunken pot to stop the rhizomes
  • Pull runners that escape the bed while they are small

Through the seasons

Keep a new planting evenly moist from the first day. It never becomes drought tolerant, so established plants still need steady water through the warm months. The plant is deciduous and dies back in winter, then returns from its rhizomes in spring. WUCOLS rates chameleon houttuynia moderate water on the north-central coast and on the south coast. In the Central Valley and South Inland, it carries a high water rating. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

A pot is the safest way to grow chameleon houttuynia, since it keeps the rhizomes from escaping. Use moisture-holding mix and water whenever the surface begins to dry, which in summer can be daily. A saucer kept partly filled is fine during the growing season. Set the pot where runners cannot root into the ground beneath. In winter, the plant dies back, so water only enough to keep the mix damp.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
4.27gal per sq ft in JulyHigh water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
27.38 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
1.12.13.24.30.64JAN1.04FEB1.74MAR2.43APR3.32MAY3.97JUN4.27JUL3.82AUG2.88SEP1.88OCT0.89NOV0.55DEC1.12.13.24.30.64JFM2.43AMJ4.27JAS1.88OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 4.27 in Jul, 27.38 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Chameleon Houttuynia: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.640.781.24––
Feb0.531.040.811.39––
Mar0.871.741.152.08––
Apr1.182.431.42.58––
May1.463.321.613.12––
Jun1.613.971.743.67––
Jul1.614.271.984.02––
Aug1.493.821.863.72––
Sep1.242.881.492.98––
Oct0.871.881.152.13––
Nov0.470.890.841.44––
Dec0.310.550.651.09––
Year1227.3815.529.46––

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 high water in the Central Valley, like chameleon houttuynia. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Japanese Sweet FlagAcorus gramineushigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyRed GingerAlpinia purpuratahigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyShell GingerAlpinia zerumbethigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulySiberian BuglossBrunnera macrophyllahigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyMarsh MarigoldCaltha palustrishigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyUmbrella Sedge and PapyrusCyperus spp. (CA native and non-native species)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyUmbrella PlantDarmera peltata (Peltiphyllum)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyFoxgloveDigitalis purpurea cvshigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyLeopard PlantFarfugium japonicum cvs. (Ligularia tussilaginea cvs.)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyTransvaal DaisyGerbera jamesonii & hybridshigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyGiant GunneraGunnera manicatahigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyWhite Ginger LilyHedychium coronariumhigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyJapanese IrisIris ensatahigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyRushJuncus aquatic spp. (native and non-native spp.)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCardinal FlowerLobelia cardinalis hybrids and cvs. (CA native and non-native spp.)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyBananaMusa spp. (shade in low desert)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

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

DahliasDahlia spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyFernsNephrolepis cordifolia (SHADE IN DESERT)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyDayliliesHemerocallis spp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBegoniasBegonia & ssp. & cvs. (shade in the desert)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCalla LiliesZantedeschia aethiopica SHADE IN DESERTmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySageSalvia officinalis and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBicolor MonkshoodAconitum cammarummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGarden MonkshoodAconitum napellusmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCarpet BugleAjuga reptans (shade)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySnowdrop WindflowerAnemone sylvestrismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain SandwortArenaria montanamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySwamp MilkweedAsclepias incarnatamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyOrange MilkweedAsclepias tuberosamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGreater MasterwortAstrantia majormoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHardy BegoniaBegonia grandismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyWax BegoniaBegonia semperflorensmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 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 chameleon houttuynia, 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 chameleon houttuynia in summer?

In July, established chameleon houttuynia in loam needs a deep watering about every 3 days in the Central Valley, about every 7 days on the south coast and about every 4 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 chameleon houttuynia need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established chameleon houttuynia needs about 0.4 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 1.7 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 chameleon houttuynia change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates chameleon houttuynia separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, high water in the Central Valley zone, moderate water in the South Coastal zone, high water 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.

Is chameleon houttuynia invasive?

It spreads aggressively by deep rhizomes and is very hard to remove once established. Plant it inside a barrier or a sunken pot. Do not let it near lawns or beds you value.

Can chameleon houttuynia grow in water?

Yes, it does well in moist soil or shallow standing water an inch or two deep. That makes it useful at a pond edge. Contain it there as well.

Why do the leaves smell?

The foliage gives off a strong scent when crushed. It is normal for the plant. Some gardeners like it, others do not.

Does chameleon houttuynia need sun or shade?

It prefers full sun but is very shade tolerant. In sun the soil dries faster, so check it often. Shade keeps it moist longer.

What pests bother chameleon houttuynia?

Aphids, slugs and snails can be problems. Damp, shady spots attract slugs and snails most. Check leaves at night.

More plant watering guides

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Sources