WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Adenophora liliifolia, WUCOLS IV

How often to water lilyleaf ladybells in California

In July on the north-central coast, established lilyleaf ladybells in loam need a deep watering about every 9 days: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 1.1 gallons a week. Lilyleaf ladybells are deciduous perennials closely related to bellflowers. In summer, they hold bell- or funnel-shaped, violet-blue flowers in large sprays above rounded basal leaves. Like their campanula cousins, they die back in winter and return in spring, and they grow best in soil that holds some moisture but never stays soggy.

PerennialRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water lilyleaf ladybells, 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 lilyleaf ladybells 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 foot 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 2 inches down around the clump in summer means lilyleaf ladybells need water
  • Flower stems flopping and leaves wilting in afternoon heat can point to dry soil
  • Flowering ending early in a hot spell can follow a dry root zone
  • A crown rotting in wet winter soil points to poor drainage

How to water it

  • Water at the base of the clump with drip or a gentle hose
  • Wet the soil about 6 inches deep, then let the top inch dry
  • Plant in well-drained soil that holds some moisture
  • Mulch to keep the root zone evenly moist
  • Cut spent stems after bloom and tidy dead leaves in winter

Through the seasons

Water new plants regularly while they settle. Established clumps want moderate, steady moisture from spring through summer bloom. They are deciduous perennials, dying back in fall and regrowing from the base in spring. Through the winter rest, rain is usually enough, and soggy ground is the bigger risk. WUCOLS rates lilyleaf ladybells moderate water on the north-central coast, on the south coast and in South Inland. WUCOLS has not evaluated them for the Central Valley, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Lilyleaf ladybells can grow in a deep pot. Use a well-drained mix with some compost. Water when the top inch is dry, until it drains through. In summer, check pots every day or two while the plants bloom. Empty the saucer so the crown stays dry. Cut spent flower stems. In winter, after the tops die back, water only lightly to keep the roots from drying out completely.

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

WUCOLS lists Lilyleaf Ladybells as not evaluated for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Lilyleaf Ladybells: 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 16

Rated not evaluated in the Central Valley, like lilyleaf ladybells. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

ArnicaArnica montananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingFrilly BergeniaBergenia ciliatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingCabbage on a StickBrighamia insignisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBasket PlantCallisia fragransnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingForest SedgeCarex sylvaticanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingUmbrella DracaenaDianella ensifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRusty FoxgloveDigitalis ferrugineanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBig-Flowered FoxgloveDigitalis grandifloranot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingWoolly FoxgloveDigitalis lanatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingSunset FoxgloveDigitalis obscuranot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMale FernDryopteris filix-masnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAlpine Sea HollyEryngium alpinumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPurple SpurgeEuphorbia dulcisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingQueen of the MeadowFilipendula ulmarianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingDropwortFilipendula vulgaris (Filipendula hexapetala)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingGentianGentiana scabra procumbensnot 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 lilyleaf ladybells, 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 lilyleaf ladybells in summer?

In July, established lilyleaf ladybells in loam need a deep watering about every 7 days on the south coast and about every 6 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 do lilyleaf ladybells need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established lilyleaf ladybells need 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 lilyleaf ladybells change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates lilyleaf ladybells 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 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.

Are lilyleaf ladybells related to bellflowers?

Yes, they are closely related to campanulas. The flowers look similar. Care is much the same.

When do lilyleaf ladybells bloom?

They bloom in summer. Violet-blue bells hang in large sprays. Water steadily through bloom.

Do lilyleaf ladybells die back in winter?

Yes, they are deciduous perennials. New growth returns in spring. Water lightly while they rest.

What soil do lilyleaf ladybells need?

They need soil that drains well yet holds some moisture. Soggy soil can rot the crown. Add compost to sandy soil.

Should I cut back lilyleaf ladybells?

Cut spent flower stems after bloom to tidy them. Remove dead leaves once they die back in fall. New growth returns in spring.

More plant watering guides

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Sources