WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Bellis perennis, WUCOLS IV

How often to water English daisy in California

In July in the Central Valley, established English daisy 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. English daisy is a low, spreading perennial with a flat rosette of spoon-shaped leaves and white, yellow-centered flowers held just above the foliage. It flowers best in cool weather and slows once summer heat arrives inland. It likes cool, moist, fertile soil and is not drought tolerant, so the bed should not dry out while it is growing.

PerennialRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water English daisy, 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 English daisy 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 around the rosette while English daisy is flowering signals that it needs water
  • Leaves lying flat and dull instead of perky in the morning can indicate thirst
  • Flower stems drooping before the leaves wilt can be an early sign the crown is dry
  • Yellowing leaves at the center of the rosette with soggy soil can indicate overwatering or crown rot

How to water it

  • Water at the base of the rosette rather than overhead so open flowers and buds stay dry
  • Soak the top few inches of soil, then let the surface dry slightly before watering again
  • Work compost into the bed before planting so moisture spreads evenly around the shallow roots
  • Set plants in full sun near the coast and in part shade where inland summer sun is intense
  • Space plants so foliage dries between waterings, which gives rust less chance to take hold

Through the seasons

English daisy is grown as a short-lived perennial or biennial, and it grows and flowers fastest in cool, moist weather. A newly set plant needs even moisture while its shallow roots establish; older clumps still dry out quickly since their roots stay close to the surface. Flowering slows once summer heat builds away from the coast. WUCOLS rates English daisy moderate water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley, on the south coast and in South Inland. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the high desert. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the low desert. Winter rain covers the cool months along the coast and in the valley, but check soil during dry stretches whenever the plant is in bloom.

In pots

English daisy grows well in shallow pots and window boxes where its low rosette can spread. Check the mix an inch or two down in containers and water when it starts to dry, since a small pot dries fast in California heat. Let excess drain through the holes, then empty the saucer so the crown does not sit wet. Move containers to part shade during hot inland spells. In winter, ease off watering while growth slows and protect pots from hard freezes.

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

English Daisy: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.40.780.78––
Feb0.530.650.810.87––
Mar0.871.091.151.3––
Apr1.181.521.41.61––
May1.462.081.611.95––
Jun1.612.481.742.29––
Jul1.612.671.982.51––
Aug1.492.391.862.33––
Sep1.241.81.491.86––
Oct0.871.181.151.33––
Nov0.470.560.840.9––
Dec0.310.340.650.68––
Year1217.1115.518.41––

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 English daisy. 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 English daisy 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 English daisy, 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 English daisy in summer?

In July, established English daisy 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 English daisy need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established English daisy 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 English daisy change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates English daisy separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate 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 suited to this region 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.

Can English daisy handle full sun in a California summer?

Inland heat can stall flowering and dry the shallow rosette quickly. Part shade in the afternoon keeps the crown from baking. Coastal plantings tolerate more sun because summer temperatures stay milder.

Why is my English daisy flopping over?

Check whether the soil beneath the rosette has dried, since thirst is a common cause. Also lift a leaf and look for soft, dark rot at the crown if the bed has stayed wet. Crowded plants can also flop from competition rather than dry soil.

Does English daisy die back in winter?

In mild California winters it usually stays green and can keep flowering. A hard frost can damage foliage, but the crown often resprouts in spring. Treat it as a cool-season perennial rather than a true evergreen.

Can English daisy grow in a lawn?

Yes, it spreads by short rhizomes and often turns up in turf on its own. Regular mowing keeps it low but rarely removes it completely. Treat volunteer plants in the lawn like the ones in beds when checking soil moisture.

Why does my English daisy have orange spots on the leaves?

Rust can affect English daisy. Water at the base instead of overhead and space plants to improve airflow. Remove affected leaves so spores do not spread to new growth.

Should I deadhead English daisy to save water?

Deadheading redirects energy into new buds rather than seed production. It will not change how quickly the soil dries. Removing spent flowers mainly extends the bloom period.

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Sources