WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. & cvs. (Potentilla fruticosa), WUCOLS IV

How often to water shrubby cinquefoil in California

In July in the Central Valley, established shrubby cinquefoil 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. Shrubby cinquefoil is a compact, rounded shrub of the rose family, native across the northern hemisphere and to California's high mountain meadows and streamsides. Saucer-shaped yellow flowers, or white, pink and red in cultivars, open from June into September. It wants bright light without baking heat, lean gravelly soil and steady moisture in summer.

ShrubCalifornia nativeRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water shrubby cinquefoil, 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 shrubby cinquefoil 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 around shrubby cinquefoil in summer signals that it needs a deep soak
  • Leaves browning and the shrub looking ragged after a hot spell suggest the site is too hot and dry for this mountain plant
  • Fine stippling or webbing on the leaves points to spider mites, often in hot, dry weather
  • Leaf spots on a shrub in heavy clay that stays wet warrant better drainage rather than more water
  • Some leaf drop in winter is normal, since it is partly deciduous in mild California gardens

How to water it

  • Water at the base with drip or a soaker line, keeping the foliage dry to limit leaf spot
  • Soak the root zone about a foot deep, then water again once the top few inches dry
  • Plant in lean, rocky or gravelly soil in bright light, sheltered from hot afternoon sun in inland gardens
  • Skip rich amendments and heavy feeding, which this mountain shrub does not need
  • Widen the drip ring as the shrub spreads toward 3 to 5 feet

Through the seasons

A new shrubby cinquefoil needs regular deep soakings through its first summer while its roots spread. Established shrubs still want steady summer moisture in warm areas, where heat is their weak point. It blooms from early summer into early fall and loses some leaves in winter. Cut out old canes or trim in winter or early spring to keep it dense. Rain does most of the winter watering on the coast and in the Central Valley. WUCOLS rates shrubby cinquefoil moderate water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley and in South Inland. It rates low water on the south coast. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Shrubby cinquefoil does well in a container on a bright patio out of hot afternoon sun. Use a gritty, lean mix rather than rich potting soil. Check the mix 2 inches down every few days in summer and water when it is dry, until water drains through. Empty the saucer afterward. In winter, as the plant drops some leaves, water only 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
0.671.32.02.70.4JAN0.65FEB1.09MAR1.52APR2.08MAY2.48JUN2.67JUL2.39AUG1.8SEP1.18OCT0.56NOV0.34DEC0.671.32.02.70.4JFM1.52AMJ2.67JAS1.18OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 2.67 in Jul, 17.11 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Shrubby Cinquefoil: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.40.310.78––
Feb0.530.650.320.87––
Mar0.871.090.461.3––
Apr1.181.520.561.61––
May1.462.080.641.95––
Jun1.612.480.692.29––
Jul1.612.670.792.51––
Aug1.492.390.742.33––
Sep1.241.80.61.86––
Oct0.871.180.461.33––
Nov0.470.560.330.9––
Dec0.310.340.260.68––
Year1217.116.218.41––

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 shrubby cinquefoil. 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 shrubby cinquefoil 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 shrubby cinquefoil, 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 shrubby cinquefoil in summer?

In July, established shrubby cinquefoil in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days in the Central Valley, about every 27 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 shrubby cinquefoil need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established shrubby cinquefoil 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 shrubby cinquefoil change across California?

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

Why is my shrubby cinquefoil not blooming well?

It flowers best with plenty of sun, so deep shade cuts bloom. In hot inland gardens, though, afternoon shade helps the plant cope. It also prefers lean soil to rich, heavily fed beds.

How do I prune shrubby cinquefoil?

Remove some old canes in winter, or cut the whole shrub to the ground to renew it. A spring trim clears winter damage and old seed heads. Older plants can turn ragged without this care.

Is shrubby cinquefoil native to California?

Yes. It grows wild along streams, in mountain meadows and in forest openings in the Sierra Nevada and other high country. The western form differs slightly from the European one.

Can shrubby cinquefoil take heat?

It does best in cool summers and struggles in hot, humid conditions. In warm California gardens, give it bright light without hot afternoon sun, and keep the soil from drying out.

What colors does shrubby cinquefoil come in?

The species blooms bright yellow, and cultivars offer white, pink, red and gold flowers. Pink forms may fade toward yellow in warm climates. All of them need the same watering.

More plant watering guides

Massachusetts ManzanitaMountain SandwortTall Oat GrassSwamp MilkweedOrange MilkweedGreater MasterwortJapanese AucubaBrazilian Butterfly Tree

Sources