WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Leonotis nepetifolia, WUCOLS IV

How often to water lion's ear in California

In July on the north-central coast, established lion's ear in loam needs a deep watering about every 22 days: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 0.5 gallons a week. Lion's ear, also sold as lion's tail, is a tall annual or short-lived perennial herb from Africa and India that can reach 6 to 9 feet. Dense, ball-like clusters of hairy orange tubular flowers stack up its square stems above pairs of toothed leaves. It grows fast and spreads by seed, and it has escaped gardens in warm regions around the world.

PerennialRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water lion's ear, 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 lion's ear 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

  • When soil beside the stems is dry 3 inches down in summer, lion's ear is ready for a drink
  • Large lower leaves wilting through the afternoon can indicate thirst
  • Flower clusters fading early in a long hot spell can follow a dry root zone
  • Stems collapsing at the base over soggy soil point to overwatering

How to water it

  • Water at the base with drip or a slow hose
  • Soak several inches down, then let the soil dry before the next soak
  • Plant in full sun in well-drained soil
  • Cut off flower stalks before seed ripens to stop seedlings
  • Stake tall stems in windy spots

Through the seasons

Water new plants regularly while they shoot up through summer. Established plants handle dry spells but grow and flower best with occasional deep soaks. Flower clusters form along the upper stems in the warm months, then four-part seed capsules ripen. Plants often behave as annuals and need replacing. WUCOLS rates lion's ear low water on the north-central coast and the south coast. In South Inland it carries a moderate water rating. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the Central Valley, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Lion's ear can grow in a large, heavy pot, which also keeps its seed from scattering into the garden. Use a well-drained mix. Water when the top couple of inches dry, until it runs through. A tall plant in summer sun can dry a pot in a day or two. Empty the saucer. Remove spent flower heads before seed falls. In winter, water lightly or replace the plant.

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

WUCOLS lists Lion's Ear as not evaluated for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Lion's Ear: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.15–0.310.78––
Feb0.21–0.320.87––
Mar0.35–0.461.3––
Apr0.47–0.561.61––
May0.58–0.641.95––
Jun0.64–0.692.29––
Jul0.64–0.792.51––
Aug0.6–0.742.33––
Sep0.5–0.61.86––
Oct0.35–0.461.33––
Nov0.19–0.330.9––
Dec0.12–0.260.68––
Year4.8–6.218.41––

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 lion's ear. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Lilyleaf LadybellsAdenophora liliifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingArnicaArnica 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 rating
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes lion's ear, 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 lion's ear in summer?

In July, established lion's ear in loam needs a deep watering about every 18 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 does lion's ear need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established lion's ear needs about 0.1 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 0.3 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 lion's ear change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates lion's ear separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated in the Central Valley zone, low 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.

Is lion's ear invasive?

It spreads mainly by seed and is invasive in places such as Florida, Hawaii and Australia. It can form large colonies. Remove flower heads before seed sets.

How tall does lion's ear get?

It can reach 6 to 9 feet in a single season. Stake it in wind. Give it room at the back of a border.

Is lion's ear an annual or perennial?

It can be either, depending on climate. It often behaves as an annual. Save seed carefully or replace plants.

Does lion's ear attract hummingbirds?

Its orange tubular flowers suit hummingbirds and bees. Bloom runs through the warm season. Water during dry spells to keep it going.

Is lion's ear the same as Leonotis leonurus?

No, that is a related shrubby perennial also called lion's tail. Lion's ear has larger leaves and spreads more by seed. Check the label before planting.

More plant watering guides

Great Blue LobeliaEtruscan HoneysuckleTatarian HoneysuckleGolden Flame HoneysuckleChampacaHuangshan MagnoliaYulan MagnoliaHoupu Magnolia

Sources