WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Rosa banksiae, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Lady Banks rose in California

In July in the Central Valley, established Lady Banks rose 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. Lady Banks rose is a vigorous, thornless climbing rose from China that can cover a fence, an arbor or even a small building. In spring it smothers itself in clusters of small double flowers, white in the classic form or butter yellow in 'Lutea'. It wants sun, good drainage and sturdy support, and once established it needs only occasional deep water.

VineRated for 6 of 6 zones

How often to water Lady Banks rose, 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 Lady Banks rose 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 4 to 6 inches down at the base in summer means it is time for a deep soak
  • Leaves yellowing and dropping in a long hot spell while the ground is dry show the rose has gone too long without water
  • Yellow leaves over soil that stays soggy point to overwatering, since it needs good drainage
  • Leaf drop after a hard freeze is normal in cold areas, where it loses its evergreen habit, and is not a sign of thirst
  • Sparse spring flowers after a fall or winter pruning point to pruning at the wrong time, since it should be cut right after bloom

How to water it

  • Water at the base with drip or a soaker, keeping the foliage dry and soaking 12 to 18 inches deep
  • Let the top several inches dry between soakings once the plant is established
  • Plant in full sun or part shade in loamy, well-drained soil that is not alkaline
  • Give it a sturdy fence, arbor or wall to climb, with room for air to move through the canes
  • Extend the drip line along the base of the support as the canes spread outward

Through the seasons

Water a new plant deeply through its first summer while the roots spread. Once established, it gets by on occasional deep soakings, given more often in hot inland and desert gardens. Flowers cover the canes in spring, and the plant stays evergreen in mild winters but may drop leaves where frost is hard. Rain does most of the winter watering along the coast and in the Central Valley. WUCOLS rates Lady Banks rose low water on the north-central coast and in the Central Valley. On the south coast, in South Inland, the high desert and the low desert it rates moderate water.

In pots

Lady Banks rose grows too large for most pots, so a container suits only a young plant on a small trellis for a few years. Use a large pot with drainage holes and a well-drained, loamy mix. When summer heat arrives, feel the mix each day or two, and once the top 2 inches are dry, water until it drains. Empty the saucer afterward. Prune right after spring bloom to keep it in bounds, and move it into the ground before roots crowd the pot.

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

Lady Banks Rose: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.160.780.780.740.78
Feb0.210.260.810.870.930.93
Mar0.350.431.151.31.461.52
Apr0.470.611.41.611.891.95
May0.580.831.611.952.392.45
Jun0.640.991.742.292.852.79
Jul0.641.071.982.513.042.85
Aug0.60.951.862.332.792.6
Sep0.50.721.491.862.142.08
Oct0.350.471.151.331.461.49
Nov0.190.220.840.90.930.96
Dec0.120.140.650.680.650.68
Year4.86.8415.518.4121.2721.08

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 8

Rated low water in the Central Valley, like Lady Banks rose. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

BougainvilleaBougainvillea & spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyWisteriaWisteria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyFlowering WoodbineLonicera periclymenumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyFleeceflowerFallopia baldschuanica (Polygonum aubertii)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCarolina JessamineGelsemium sempervirenslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCecile Brunner RoseRosa 'Cecile Brunner'low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRoger's Red GrapeVitis 'Roger's Red'low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBlue Dawn Morning GloryIpomoea acuminatalow 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 Lady Banks rose, 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 Lady Banks rose in summer?

In July, established Lady Banks rose in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 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 Lady Banks rose need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established Lady Banks rose 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 Lady Banks rose change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Lady Banks rose separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, low water in the Central Valley zone, moderate water in the South Coastal zone, moderate 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.

Does Lady Banks rose have thorns?

No. Its long green canes are thornless, which makes it easy to train over arbors and along paths. It still needs a strong support, since it grows fast and large.

When should I prune Lady Banks rose?

Prune right after it finishes blooming in spring. Remove dead wood, and cut back only as much as needed to control its size. Pruning just after bloom also lets you keep it as a hedge.

How big does Lady Banks rose get?

It is a rapid grower that can climb 20 to 40 feet and spread widely. One famous plant in Arizona covers about 8,000 square feet of a courtyard.

Are Lady Banks roses fragrant?

The white form is strongly scented of violets. Yellow 'Lutea' carries little or no scent, but it blooms heavily and is thought to be the hardiest form.

Does Lady Banks rose get black spot?

Black spot and mildew trouble it less than most roses. Good air flow around the canes and watering at the soil help keep the leaves clean.

Is Lady Banks rose evergreen?

Yes, in mild-winter areas. Where winters are hard, it can lose its leaves but stays cold hardy.

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Sources