WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Loropetalum chinense & cvs., WUCOLS IV

How often to water fringe flower in California

In July in the Central Valley, established fringe flower 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. Fringe flower is an evergreen or semi-evergreen shrub from China and Japan, with arching branches and clusters of spidery, strap-petaled flowers in spring. The species has green leaves and white flowers, while many popular forms have reddish purple leaves and pink blooms. It wants acidic, well-drained soil. Established plants are drought tolerant, but alkaline soil can yellow the leaves.

ShrubRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water fringe flower, 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 fringe flower 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 2 to 3 inches down under the mulch at the shrub's edge means it is ready for a soak
  • Leaves that droop in afternoon heat and stay limp into the next morning over dry soil point to thirst
  • Yellow leaves with green veins point to chlorosis from alkaline soil, which more water will not cure
  • Wilting or yellowing while the soil stays wet for days points to root rot in poorly drained ground
  • Fine pale stippling on the leaves points to mites, so check for them before changing the watering

How to water it

  • Water around the shrub with drip emitters or a soaker hose, keeping water off the foliage
  • Soak the root zone about a foot deep, then let the top couple of inches dry before the next soak
  • Mulch the root area to hold moisture through summer, keeping the mulch a few inches from the stems
  • Plant in rich, acidic soil that drains well, and avoid low spots where water stands after rain
  • Add emitters at the outer edge as the shrub spreads, since full-size plants grow 6 to 8 feet wide

Through the seasons

Keep a new fringe flower evenly moist through its first summer, while roots grow into the surrounding soil. Once established it is drought tolerant and does well on deeper, less frequent soakings. It flowers in spring and keeps most or all of its leaves through winter. Winter rain covers the cool months on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley and on the south coast. WUCOLS rates fringe flower low water on the north-central coast. It rates moderate water in the Central Valley, on the south coast and in South Inland. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Compact fringe flower cultivars suit large pots, while full-size forms soon outgrow them. Use an acidic potting mix that drains well. In summer heat, check the mix 2 inches down every few days, and daily during valley heat waves. Water until it runs from the drainage holes, then empty the saucer so the roots never sit in water. Shade the pot itself on hot paving. The shrub keeps most or all of its leaves in winter, so water less then without letting the mix dry out completely.

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

Fringe Flower: 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 fringe flower. 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 fringe flower 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 fringe flower, 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 fringe flower in summer?

In July, established fringe flower in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days in the Central Valley, about every 11 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 fringe flower need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established fringe flower 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 fringe flower change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates fringe flower 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.

Why are my fringe flower leaves turning yellow?

Soil that is too alkaline is a common cause, since it leads to chlorosis. Fringe flower needs neutral to acidic soil. Test the soil pH before adding water or fertilizer. Soggy soil and root rot can also yellow the leaves.

When should I prune fringe flower?

Prune right after it finishes flowering in spring. It takes pruning well and can be kept as a hedge, trained as an espalier or shaped into a small tree. A freshly pruned shrub still needs its normal soil check.

Does fringe flower need full sun?

It grows in full sun or part shade. Full sun with some afternoon shade gives the best flowers and leaf color. Plants in more shade dry out more slowly, so check the soil before watering.

How big does fringe flower get?

Full-size plants become large shrubs about 6 to 8 feet wide and can eventually reach small tree size. Compact cultivars stay about 4 to 6 feet tall, and some low forms grow only 1 to 3 feet as groundcovers. Check the label before planting near a path.

Is fringe flower deer resistant?

Yes, it is listed as deer resistant. It also has no serious insect or disease problems in most gardens. Watch for root rot in wet soil and for mites and aphids.

More plant watering guides

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Sources