WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Jasminum leratii, WUCOLS IV

How often to water privet-leaved jasmine in California

In July on the north-central coast, established privet-leaved jasmine in loam needs a deep watering about every 13 days: about 2.2 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 1.1 gallons a week. Privet-leaved jasmine, Jasminum leratii, is an evergreen shrubby vine from New Caledonia. Its glossy, dark green leaves, an inch or two long, grow on thin reddish stems. Clusters of small, fragrant white flowers open in spring and on and off all year. Given support it climbs to about 12 feet, and without it stays a shrub that can be kept 4 to 6 feet tall.

VineRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water privet-leaved jasmine, 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 privet-leaved 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 an inch or two down in summer heat means this regularly watered vine is ready for a soak
  • Leaves wilting by afternoon on a hot day can indicate the roots have run short of water
  • Yellowing leaves over soil that stays soggy point to more water than the plant can use
  • Leaf damage after nights in the mid 20s reflects cold, not drought, since it can be hurt around 26 degrees F
  • Fewer flowers in deep shade reflect too little light, since it prefers sun to bright shade

How to water it

  • Water at the base of the plant with drip or a soaker, wetting the soil about 8 inches down
  • Water again once the top inch or two has dried, keeping the root zone lightly moist through summer
  • Plant in sun to bright shade in soil that drains well
  • Give it a trellis or fence to climb, or prune it back to keep a shrub of 4 to 6 feet
  • Mulch the root area and widen the watered strip as the plant spreads

Through the seasons

Water a new plant regularly through its first summer while it roots in. It prefers regular watering and stays evergreen, with a main flush of flowers in spring and scattered blooms the rest of the year. Plants have been damaged at about 26 degrees F, so frost protection helps in cold spots. Winter rain usually covers it on the coast. WUCOLS rates privet-leaved jasmine moderate water on the north-central coast, on the south coast and in South Inland. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the Central Valley. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Privet-leaved jasmine grows well in a large container with a small trellis, or pruned as a compact shrub. Fill a pot that has drainage holes with a well-drained potting mix. In summer heat, feel the mix every couple of days and water when the top inch has dried. Let the excess drain away, then empty the saucer. In winter, water less, and move the pot under cover if frost threatens.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
Not ratedWUCOLS does not rate Privet-Leaved Jasmine for the Central Valley zone
A year
no figure
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses

WUCOLS lists Privet-Leaved Jasmine as not evaluated for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Privet-Leaved Jasmine: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.37–0.780.78––
Feb0.53–0.810.87––
Mar0.87–1.151.3––
Apr1.18–1.41.61––
May1.46–1.611.95––
Jun1.61–1.742.29––
Jul1.61–1.982.51––
Aug1.49–1.862.33––
Sep1.24–1.491.86––
Oct0.87–1.151.33––
Nov0.47–0.840.9––
Dec0.31–0.650.68––
Year12–15.518.41––

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 10

Rated not evaluated in the Central Valley, like privet-leaved jasmine. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Variegated KiwiActinidia kolomiktanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAnemone ClematisClematis montananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingChilean BellflowerLapageria roseanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingEtruscan HoneysuckleLonicera etruscanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingTatarian HoneysuckleLonicera tataricanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingGolden Flame HoneysuckleLonicera x heckrottinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBrazilian NightshadeSolanum seaforthianumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAmur River GrapeVitis amurensisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingCrimson Glory VineVitis coignetiaenot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBeach Morning GloryCalystegia soldanellanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes privet-leaved 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 privet-leaved jasmine in summer?

In July, established privet-leaved jasmine in loam needs a deep watering 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 privet-leaved jasmine need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established privet-leaved jasmine needs about 0.2 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 0.7 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 privet-leaved jasmine change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates privet-leaved jasmine separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated 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, not suited to this region in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

How is privet-leaved jasmine different from star jasmine?

It looks similar, but its leaves are finer in texture, and its flowers are a bit more delicate in form and scent. It is a true jasmine, while star jasmine belongs to another genus.

Can privet-leaved jasmine climb?

Yes, with support it climbs to about 12 feet. Without a trellis it stays shrubby and can be pruned to 4 to 6 feet tall.

When does privet-leaved jasmine bloom?

The main show of white flowers comes in spring, with scattered blooms through the rest of the year. Regular water and sun to bright shade keep it flowering.

How cold hardy is privet-leaved jasmine?

Reports suggest it survives to about 20 degrees F, but nursery plants have been damaged at 26 degrees F. Cover it or move pots in a hard frost.

Can you overwater privet-leaved jasmine?

Yes. It likes regular water, but soil that stays soggy harms the roots. Let the top inch or two dry between waterings.

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Sources