WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Dorycnium hirsutum, WUCOLS IV

How often to water hairy canary clover in California

In July in the Central Valley, established hairy canary clover 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. Hairy canary clover is a low Mediterranean subshrub in the pea family, with a woody base and soft, gray, fuzzy leaves. Clusters of white, clover-like flowers with pink veins appear in summer and fall, then shiny red-brown pods. It wants full sun and soil that drains well. Once settled it needs little water, and it often lives only a few years in gardens.

ShrubRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water hairy canary clover, 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 hairy canary clover 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 to 4 inches down at the edge of a young plant means it is ready for a soak
  • Fuzzy gray leaves that droop on a young plant in summer heat, with dry soil below, point to a thirsty root zone
  • Stems that yellow and collapse while the soil stays wet point to poor drainage rather than thirst
  • Leaves lost after a hard winter freeze are cold damage, not a watering fault

How to water it

  • Plant hairy canary clover in full sun in sandy, gravelly or loamy soil that drains fast
  • Water a young plant at its root ball and just beyond with drip or a slow hose, then let the soil dry before the next soak
  • Soak to about 8 inches down, which covers the root zone of this small shrub
  • Skip fertilizer, since this pea family plant fixes its own nitrogen and does not need feeding
  • Keep it out of lawn sprinkler range and away from beds that stay damp

Through the seasons

Water a new hairy canary clover regularly through its first summer while its roots spread. After that it gets by on little, and summer bloom is when soil checks matter. It stays evergreen down to about 20 degrees Fahrenheit, and a harder frost can knock it back. Plants are often short-lived, but they self-sow, so seedlings can carry the planting on. Winter rain covers the cool months on the south coast and in the Central Valley. WUCOLS rates it moderate water in the Central Valley, where summer heat calls for closer checks. It rates low water on the south coast. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the north-central coast. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for South Inland, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Hairy canary clover suits a medium to large pot, where its fuzzy gray stems can spill over the rim. Use a gritty, fast-draining mix and a pot with open drainage holes. Check the mix 2 inches down every few days in summer heat, and water only when it is dry there. Water until it drains from the holes, then empty the saucer. Skip feeding, since its roots fix their own nitrogen. In winter, let rain do most of the work and check the mix before adding more.

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

Hairy Canary Clover: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan–0.40.31–––
Feb–0.650.32–––
Mar–1.090.46–––
Apr–1.520.56–––
May–2.080.64–––
Jun–2.480.69–––
Jul–2.670.79–––
Aug–2.390.74–––
Sep–1.80.6–––
Oct–1.180.46–––
Nov–0.560.33–––
Dec–0.340.26–––
Year–17.116.2–––

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 hairy canary clover. 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 hairy canary clover 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 hairy canary clover, 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 hairy canary clover in summer?

In July, established hairy canary clover in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days in the Central Valley and about every 27 days on the south coast. 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 hairy canary clover need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established hairy canary clover 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 hairy canary clover change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates hairy canary clover separately for each of the six California climate zones: not suited to this region in the North-Central Coastal zone, moderate water in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, not evaluated 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.

Is hairy canary clover the same as Lotus hirsutus?

Yes. It is sold as Dorycnium hirsutum, but the current botanical name is Lotus hirsutus. Despite the common name, it does not grow wild on the Canary Islands. It comes from the northern Mediterranean, from Portugal to Turkey.

Why did my hairy canary clover die after a few years?

It is often short-lived in gardens, even when it is well grown. Soil that stays wet adds to the risk, so keep drainage fast. It self-sows, so let a few seedlings grow on as replacements.

Should I cut back hairy canary clover?

Yes. Cutting it back brings a flush of fresh gray foliage when the plant looks tired. It is also a way to renew an older plant before it declines. Keep watering as before, based on the soil.

Does hairy canary clover need fertilizer?

No. As a pea family plant, its roots fix nitrogen from the air, so it does not need extra fertilizer. Lean, well-drained soil suits it.

Does hairy canary clover attract bees?

Yes. The clover-like flowers draw bees through the bloom season. Plant it away from doorways if bees near paths are a concern.

Where does hairy canary clover look best?

It softens the edge of a path or spills over low rocks and raised beds. Raised beds and rock edges also drain well, which suits its roots. Give it full sun and room to spread a couple of feet.

More plant watering guides

Callery PearEdible PearEvergreen PearSawtooth OakEastern White OakSwamp White OakScarlet OakEscarpment Live Oak

Sources