WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Teucrium chamaedrys ssp. & cvs., WUCOLS IV

How often to water germander in California

In July in the Central Valley, established germander in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across, about 3.0 gallons a week. Germander is a low, evergreen Mediterranean subshrub with small, glossy, scalloped leaves and whorls of pink to purple flowers from late spring into summer. It is a classic edging and knot garden plant that takes repeated shearing. It does best on little water, but it must have good drainage and dislikes wet soil.

Ground coverPerennialShrubRated for 6 of 6 zones

How often to water germander, 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 germander 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 beside the plants means an established germander can take a soak
  • Glossy leaves going dull and the mound wilting during a long hot spell point to a dry root zone
  • Stems browning from the base over wet, heavy soil point to root trouble from poor drainage
  • Gray powdery patches or orange rust spots on the leaves are fungal problems, not a call for more water
  • Fine pale speckling across the leaves can point to mites rather than dry soil

How to water it

  • Water at the base of the planting with drip line, letting the top few inches dry between soakings
  • Wet the soil about a foot deep each time so the roots grow down
  • Plant in full sun in lean, sandy or gravelly soil, never in a spot that stays wet
  • Shear a low hedge after flowering, then let it regrow without extra water unless the soil is dry
  • Edge the bed where needed, since germander spreads by rhizomes

Through the seasons

Water new plants regularly until they root in and begin to spread, then let the soil dry between soakings. Flowers open from late spring into summer and draw bees, and a shearing afterward restores a tidy shape. This evergreen holds its leaves all year, though severe cold can cause dieback. Winter rain covers the cool months on the coast and in the valley. WUCOLS rates germander low water in South Inland, on the north-central coast, on the south coast and in the Central Valley. It rates moderate water in the high desert and the low desert, where summer soakings matter more.

In pots

Germander makes a neat potted edging or small clipped shape. Use a gritty, free-draining mix. In summer, press a finger into the mix every few days and water once the top 2 inches are dry. Let water flow out of the bottom, then empty the saucer, since this plant dislikes wet roots. Move the pot to shelter in a severe cold snap, and keep winter watering light.

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

Germander: 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 germander. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

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 JulyAgapanthusAgapanthus orientalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGeraniumsPelargonium x hortorum and 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 JulyIrisesIris germanicalow 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 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 July
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes germander, 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 germander in summer?

In July, established germander in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days in the Central Valley, about every 27 days on the south coast and about every 22 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 germander need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established germander needs about 0.4 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 1.7 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 germander change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates germander 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.

How do I keep a germander hedge neat?

Shear it after flowering to remove the untidy spent blooms. In formal gardens, regular shearing through the season keeps it uniform and prevents flowering. Water a freshly sheared hedge only if the soil is dry a couple of inches down.

Does germander spread?

Yes. It spreads by rhizomes and can be hard to contain. Edge the bed, or put that habit to work holding soil on a slope.

Is germander deer resistant?

Yes. Deer usually leave it alone, which makes it useful for edging in deer country. Bees visit the flowers.

Can germander take frost?

Severe cold can cause dieback. Covering plants during extreme cold spells helps them survive.

Can germander grow in clay?

It tolerates poor soil but not wet soil, so heavy clay that stays soggy is a problem. Plant it on a mound or in a raised bed with grit, and water sparingly.

More plant watering guides

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Sources