WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Lavandula angustifolia ssp. & cvs., WUCOLS IV

How often to water English lavender in California

In July in the Central Valley, established English lavender in loam needs a deep watering about every 14 days: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 0.8 gallons a week. English lavender is a compact, woody based shrub grown for its gray green foliage and fragrant purple flower spikes. Established plants tolerate drought, but irrigation needs rise in the deserts. Good drainage matters because excess water can lead to root and crown rot.

PerennialRated for 6 of 6 zones

How often to water English lavender, 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 lavender 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 several inches down is a cue to assess English lavender for watering, especially in desert gardens
  • Dull or limp English lavender foliage warrants a soil check rather than an automatic extra soak
  • Fading spikes alone do not establish whether English lavender needs water, so check the soil beneath the plant
  • Persistently wet soil around English lavender warns of conditions that favor root and crown rot
  • Bare woody stems warrant a growth check, since lavender does not produce new shoots from old wood

How to water it

  • Water at the base of the plant with drip or a slow hose, keeping the woody crown dry
  • Let the soil dry well down before watering an established plant again rather than keeping it lightly damp
  • Use fast draining, slightly alkaline soil, and plant on a raised mound or slope where ground tends to stay wet
  • Keep mulch and irrigation lines a few inches back from the base of the stems
  • Expand the watered area gradually as a young plant grows into a fuller mound

Through the seasons

Give newly planted English lavender extra attention to moisture during its first year as roots establish. Once settled, let the upper soil dry before replenishing moisture, checking more closely in desert gardens. This evergreen shrub flowers in early summer and may bloom again from late summer into fall. Winter rain usually meets most of its needs on the coast and in the Central Valley, so added water there mainly matters during a long dry stretch. This shrub carries a low water rating across the north-central coast, the Central Valley, the south coast and South Inland. Only the high desert and the low desert move it up to moderate water.

In pots

English lavender in a container needs a pot with generous drainage holes and a gritty, fast draining mix. Check the top couple of inches during California summer heat and water once that layer is dry. Let water run freely through the holes, then empty the saucer right away so the crown never sits wet. A pot on a hot, reflective patio dries faster than one in open ground, so check it more often there. In winter, cut back watering sharply and let the mix dry well between soakings.

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

English Lavender: 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 English lavender. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

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 lavender, 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 lavender in summer?

In July, established English lavender in loam needs a deep watering about every 14 days in the Central Valley, about every 18 days on the south coast and about every 14 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 lavender need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established English lavender needs about 0.1 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 0.4 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 lavender change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates English lavender 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 English lavender survive without any irrigation in California?

Do not assume a low water rating means a plant can go without irrigation. Established English lavender tolerates drought, but its root-zone condition should guide watering. Desert plantings have a moderate water rating, and new plants need closer attention during establishment.

Why is my English lavender dying in the middle?

Inspect the woody stems and the soil separately before deciding why the center has declined. Lavender does not produce new growth from old wood, so avoid cutting back into bare stems. Cuttings can provide replacement plants when a shrub no longer has enough healthy growth.

How do I stop English lavender from rotting?

Plant it in fast draining soil, ideally on a raised bed or slope, and avoid keeping the root zone constantly wet. Keep mulch away from the base of the stems so moisture does not linger there. Space plants to allow airflow around the foliage.

Does English lavender need acidic soil?

No, it prefers neutral to slightly alkaline soil rather than acidic conditions. Drainage is a separate requirement, so inspect how quickly water leaves the planting area. Use a raised bed or mound where heavy soil remains wet.

Can I grow English lavender near a lawn in California?

A lawn edge is a poor choice if runoff or sprinklers keep the lavender's soil continually wet. Use a bed where you can let the upper soil dry before watering again. Group it with other drought-tolerant plants, while accounting for its higher desert water rating.

More plant watering guides

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Sources