WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Salvia sclarea, WUCOLS IV

How often to water clary sage in California

In July in the Central Valley, established clary sage in loam needs a deep watering about every 5 days: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 1.9 gallons a week. Clary sage is a biennial or short-lived perennial with big, wrinkled, aromatic gray-green leaves. Tall spikes of white, lavender and pink flowers rise in early summer. It thrives in sun and lean, sandy or gravelly soil. Wet soil in winter is the real danger, and rich, heavily fed beds give tall plants with few flowers.

PerennialRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water clary sage, 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 clary sage 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 2 inches down beside the leafy rosette means clary sage is ready for a soak
  • Big leaves still hanging limp in the evening, over dry soil, show the plant is short of water
  • Lower leaves yellowing and rotting at the base during a wet winter point to soggy soil around the crown
  • Tall, floppy stems with few flowers point to rich soil or heavy feeding, not a need for more water
  • A plant browning after it flowers in its second year is often just finishing its life cycle

How to water it

  • Water at the base of the rosette with drip or a hose, keeping the broad leaves dry
  • Soak the soil about a foot deep, then let the top couple of inches dry before the next soak
  • Plant in full sun in light, sandy or gravelly soil that drains fast
  • Skip compost-rich beds and heavy feeding, which push soft, tall growth with few flowers
  • Stop irrigating once winter rains begin, and keep plants out of low spots that stay wet

Through the seasons

Water new plants regularly until they root in, then let the soil dry between soakings. Most plants form a leafy rosette the first year and flower the next, from about June into August. Cutting spent stalks back near the ground can bring a second flush. Many plants fade after setting seed, but self-sown seedlings often replace them. Coastal and valley rain covers the cool months, so add nothing then. WUCOLS rates clary sage low water on the north-central coast. It rates moderate water in South Inland, on the south coast and in the Central Valley. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the low desert or the high desert.

In pots

Clary sage grows well in a large, deep pot of gritty mix, though its tall spikes may need a spot out of strong wind. Check the mix 1 to 2 inches down every few days in summer, and more often in inland heat. Pour slowly until water escapes the drainage holes, and leave nothing standing in the saucer. In winter, raise the pot on feet or move it out of constant rain so the crown never sits wet. Seedlings that come up in the pot can be moved or pulled.

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

Clary Sage: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.40.780.78––
Feb0.210.650.810.87––
Mar0.351.091.151.3––
Apr0.471.521.41.61––
May0.582.081.611.95––
Jun0.642.481.742.29––
Jul0.642.671.982.51––
Aug0.62.391.862.33––
Sep0.51.81.491.86––
Oct0.351.181.151.33––
Nov0.190.560.840.9––
Dec0.120.340.650.68––
Year4.817.1115.518.41––

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 clary sage. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

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

Similar plants that need less water 16

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

AgapanthusAgapanthus orientalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGeraniumsPelargonium x hortorum and cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySalviaSalvia greggii ssp., cvs. & hybridslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyIrisesIris germanicalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySucculentsEcheveria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRussian SagePerovskia spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyYarrowAchillea millefolium (non-native hybrids)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain AlyssumAlyssum montanumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySilver SageSalvia argentealow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPurple MulleinVerbascum phoeniceumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySilvery YarrowAchillea clavennaelow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyFern Leaf YarrowAchillea filipendulinalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCalifornia Native YarrowAchillea millefolium (CA native cultivars)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyWoolly YarrowAchillea tomentosalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPerennial HollyhockAlcea rosea cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain Lady's MantleAlchemilla alpinalow 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 clary sage, 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 clary sage in summer?

In July, established clary sage in loam needs a deep watering about every 5 days in the Central Valley, about every 7 days on the south coast and about every 6 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 clary sage need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established clary sage needs about 0.3 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 1.1 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 clary sage change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates clary sage 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, 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 clary sage a perennial?

It is a biennial or a short-lived perennial. Most plants grow leaves the first year, flower the second, and then decline. Let a few seed heads ripen if you want new plants.

Will clary sage spread?

It self-sows heavily and can become weedy. Cut flower stalks before seeds ripen to limit seedlings, and pull extras while they are small.

Why is my clary sage flopping over?

Rich, well fed soil makes tall, soft stems with few flowers. Grow it in lean soil and full sun, and hold back on fertilizer.

Should I cut back clary sage after it blooms?

Yes. Cutting faded stalks back near the ground encourages a second flush of growth and flowers. Water the cut plant only when the soil is dry a couple of inches down.

Do deer eat clary sage?

Deer and rabbits usually leave it alone. Bees and butterflies visit the flowers, so it suits pollinator plantings.

More plant watering guides

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Sources