WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Convolvulus mauritanicus, WUCOLS IV

How often to water ground morning glory in California

In July in the Central Valley, established ground morning glory in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days: about 2.2 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 0.8 gallons a week. Ground morning glory is a trailing perennial from coastal Morocco and Algeria that hugs the ground under a foot tall and spreads 2 to 3 feet or more. Soft, rounded, gray-green leaves set off light blue to lavender funnel flowers that appear through much of the year in mild winters, most heavily from spring through fall. It cascades nicely over walls.

Ground coverRated for 6 of 6 zones

How often to water ground morning glory, 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 ground morning glory 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 3 inches down under the mat in summer means ground morning glory can take a drink
  • Fewer flowers and limp stems after a long hot spell point to a dry root zone
  • Stems turning woody and bare in the middle show it needs a late winter trim, not water
  • Yellowing in heavy soil that stays wet points to overwatering

How to water it

  • Water occasionally, letting the soil dry between soakings
  • Plant in full sun to light shade in well-drained soil
  • Accept clay or alkaline soil as long as it drains
  • Trim it back in late winter to keep it from getting woody
  • Let it spill over walls and fill gaps between plants

Through the seasons

Water new plants until their stems spread. Once settled, occasional deep water keeps it flowering from spring into fall without letting it turn woody and leggy. It can resprout if a hard frost burns the tops, and a late winter trim renews it each year. Along the north-central coast and the south coast, and in the Central Valley and South Inland, WUCOLS gives ground morning glory a low water rating. Both desert zones raise that to a moderate water rating.

In pots

Ground morning glory is lovely trailing from a hanging basket, window box or the rim of a big pot. Use a well-drained mix. Water when the top couple of inches feel dry, until water seeps out. In summer heat, small containers can need water every day or two. Keep the saucer empty. Trim it in late winter. In cool months, water only when the mix dries.

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

Ground Morning Glory: 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 ground morning glory. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

BougainvilleaBougainvillea & spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyLantanaLantana camara ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyJunipersJuniperus 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 JulySagebrushArtemisia spp. (shrubby)low 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 JulyRock CotoneasterCotoneaster horizontalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySouth African GeraniumPelargonium sidoideslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyLippia GroundcoverPhyla nodiflora (Lippia nodiflora) cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRock SoapwortSaponaria ocymoideslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMother of ThymeThymus praecoxlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyVancouver Jade BearberryArctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Vancouver Jade'low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyTrailing LantanaLantana montevidensis (sellowiana) ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGermanderTeucrium chamaedrys ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBigleaf PeriwinkleVinca majorlow 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 ground morning glory, 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 ground morning glory in summer?

In July, established ground morning glory 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 ground morning glory need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established ground morning glory 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 ground morning glory change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates ground morning glory 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.

When does ground morning glory bloom?

Where winters are mild it can bloom through much of the year. The heaviest bloom runs from spring through fall. Occasional water keeps it going.

How big does ground morning glory get?

It stays under a foot tall and spreads about 3 feet. It fills gaps between other plants. It also trails over walls.

Can ground morning glory grow in clay?

Yes, it grows in heavier clay if the soil drains and is not overwatered. It also tolerates alkaline soil. Avoid soggy spots.

How do I keep ground morning glory tidy?

Trim it back in late winter to prevent woody growth and maintain size. It regrows quickly in spring. Water lightly afterward.

Is ground morning glory frost hardy?

It is hardy to about 15 to 20 degrees F and can resprout if the tops freeze. In colder areas it is grown as an annual. It also handles near-coastal conditions.

More plant watering guides

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Sources