WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Jasminum humile, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Italian jasmine in California

In July in the Central Valley, established Italian jasmine 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. Italian jasmine is a sprawling evergreen or semi-evergreen shrub from Iran to China, despite its name. Arching green stems carry small yellow trumpet flowers in summer, sometimes lightly scented. It copes with heat and short dry spells once rooted. Even so, it is a low water plant only on the north-central coast and needs steadier soakings in hotter zones.

ShrubRated for 5 of 6 zones

How often to water Italian jasmine, 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 Italian jasmine 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 at the edge of the shrub in summer means Italian jasmine is ready for a deep soak
  • Arching shoot tips that hang limp into the evening point to a dry root zone during hot weather
  • Yellowing leaves and weak shoots over soil that stays wet point to poor drainage, which this shrub dislikes
  • Sticky leaves or white cottony tufts point to aphids or mealybugs, not a watering problem

How to water it

  • Water Italian jasmine at the base with drip or a slow hose rather than spraying the arching stems
  • Soak until the soil is moist about 18 inches down, then let the top few inches dry before the next soak
  • Mulch the root zone with wood chips, keeping them a few inches back from the main stems
  • Plant it in well-drained loam or sandy soil, and raise the bed where clay holds water after rain
  • Move drip emitters outward as the shrub sprawls, so the water follows the spreading roots

Through the seasons

Water a new Italian jasmine deeply through its first summer while the roots spread. Established shrubs need less, but they are not drought proof in hot zones. It flowers in summer, so soil checks matter most from late spring into early fall. It is evergreen or semi-evergreen, so some leaves can drop in winter. Winter rain covers the cool months on the coast and in the Central Valley. In the low desert, keep checking the soil through dry winter weeks. WUCOLS rates Italian jasmine low water on the north-central coast. It rates moderate water in the Central Valley, on the south coast, in South Inland and in the low desert. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the high desert.

In pots

Italian jasmine grows large, so a container suits a young plant or one kept small by pruning. Use a wide pot with open drainage holes and a gritty mix. Check 2 inches down every few days in summer, and daily in South Inland or low desert heat. Water until it drains from the holes, then empty the saucer, since this shrub wants good drainage. A pot against a sunny wall dries fast. In winter, let the mix dry a bit more between soakings and check whether rain has already wet it.

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
0.711.42.12.90.4JAN0.65FEB1.09MAR1.52APR2.08MAY2.48JUN2.67JUL2.39AUG1.8SEP1.18OCT0.56NOV0.34DEC0.711.42.12.90.4JFM1.52AMJ2.67JAS1.18OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 2.67 in Jul, 17.11 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Italian Jasmine: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.40.780.78–0.78
Feb0.210.650.810.87–0.93
Mar0.351.091.151.3–1.52
Apr0.471.521.41.61–1.95
May0.582.081.611.95–2.45
Jun0.642.481.742.29–2.79
Jul0.642.671.982.51–2.85
Aug0.62.391.862.33–2.6
Sep0.51.81.491.86–2.08
Oct0.351.181.151.33–1.49
Nov0.190.560.840.9–0.96
Dec0.120.340.650.68–0.68
Year4.817.1115.518.41–21.08

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 moderate water in the Central Valley, like Italian jasmine. 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 Italian jasmine 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 Italian jasmine, 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 Italian jasmine in summer?

In July, established Italian jasmine 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 Italian jasmine need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established Italian jasmine 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 Italian jasmine change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Italian jasmine 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 suited to this region 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.

Is Italian jasmine a vine?

No. It is a scrambling shrub with arching stems, not a twining climber. Tie it to a wall or fence if you want it to grow upright. It also works in borders, foundation beds and informal hedges.

Is Italian jasmine fragrant?

Only a little. The small yellow flowers are scentless or lightly fragrant, depending on the plant. Grow it for its summer color rather than for scent.

Where does Italian jasmine grow best?

Give it full sun or part shade and well-drained soil, ideally in a sheltered spot. It grows in loam, sand or chalky ground. Avoid low spots where water stands after rain.

Is Italian jasmine safe for pets?

It is listed as non-toxic to cats, dogs and horses. Still, discourage pets from chewing on it. Glossy black berries can follow the flowers in fall.

Is Italian jasmine a true jasmine?

Botanists recently moved it to Chrysojasminum, a genus split from Jasminum. Unlike most of the olive family, its leaves are alternate, not opposite. Nurseries still sell it under the old name.

What pests bother Italian jasmine?

It is generally free of serious pests. Aphids, scale and mealybugs can show up, often as sticky leaves or white tufts. Drought stress and poor drainage are the watering problems to rule out first.

More plant watering guides

Rose of SharonHopsEnglish HollyPrimrose JasmineCommon JasmineChilean Wine PalmGolden Rain TreeBeauty Bush

Sources