WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Cantua buxifolia, WUCOLS IV

How often to water magic flower in California

In July on the north-central coast, established magic flower in loam needs a deep watering about every 13 days: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across, about 4.6 gallons a week. Magic flower, also called flower of the Inca, is a fast, upright evergreen shrub from the Andes, about 6 feet tall, with arching branches and small gray-green leaves. In spring it hangs out a profusion of long, tubular flowers in magenta, pink or orange that hummingbirds visit. It grows in full sun to light shade and dislikes hot inland conditions.

ShrubRated for 3 of 6 zones

How often to water magic flower, 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 magic flower 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 under the shrub in summer signals magic flower is ready for water
  • Small leaves curling and dropping in an inland heat wave can indicate drought and heat stress
  • Few spring flowers can follow pruning at the wrong time rather than a water problem
  • Yellowing leaves and soft stems over soggy soil suggest overwatering

How to water it

  • Give the root zone a slow drink with drip or a soaker
  • Soak about 8 inches down, then let the top few inches dry before watering again
  • Plant in full sun to light shade in well-drained soil
  • Tie several stems together or stake them to tame its sprawl
  • Prune only right after flowering, since flowers form on last year's wood

Through the seasons

Water a new plant regularly through its first summer. Established shrubs take regular to occasional water, with deeper soaks in dry summers. It is evergreen and blooms in spring on the previous season's wood. It is hardy to around 20 degrees F but dislikes hot inland summers. WUCOLS rates magic flower moderate water on the north-central coast, on the south coast and in South Inland. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the Central Valley, and has not evaluated it for the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Magic flower can grow in a large pot set where you can see the hanging blooms. Use a well-drained mix and water when the top couple of inches dry, until it drains through. In summer, check every few days, and give the pot afternoon shade in hot areas. Empty the saucer each time. Prune right after bloom. In winter, water when the mix dries and protect the pot from hard frost.

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

WUCOLS lists Magic Flower as not suited to this region for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Magic Flower: 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 suited to this region in the Central Valley, like magic flower. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Chenille PlantAcalypha hispidanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingCopperleafAcalypha wilkesiananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingYellow Bell BauhiniaBauhinia tomentosanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingClustered Fishtail PalmCaryota mitisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingHawaiian TiCordyline fruticosa (Cordyline terminalis)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingFilbertCorylus maximanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPoinsettiaEuphorbia pulcherrimanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingWeeping Chinese BanyanFicus benjaminanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRubber PlantFicus elasticanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingFranklin TreeFranklinia alatamaha (Gordonia alatamaha)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingJungle GeraniumIxora coccineanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingOrange JessamineMurraya paniculatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingCommon GuavaPsidium guajavanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingOrgan Pipe CactusStenocereus thurberi (Lemaireocereus thurberi)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingGiant Bird of ParadiseStrelitzia nicolai (shade in desert)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMarmalade BushStreptosolen jamesoniinot 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 magic flower, 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 magic flower in summer?

In July, established magic flower 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 magic flower need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established magic flower needs about 0.7 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 2.6 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 magic flower change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates magic flower separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not suited to this region 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.

Does magic flower attract hummingbirds?

Yes, in its native habitat it is pollinated by hummingbirds. The hanging tubular flowers suit them well. It is a good hummingbird plant.

When should I prune magic flower?

Prune only right after flowering, since blooms come on the previous season's wood. Shorten the longest stems then. Later pruning removes next spring's flowers.

Why is my magic flower floppy?

It has a sprawling habit with long, sometimes leafless stems. Stake or tie several branches together. Cut back long stems after bloom.

Can magic flower grow inland?

It dislikes hot inland conditions. Near the coast it does best. Inland, give it shade in the afternoon and steady water.

How cold can magic flower get?

Cold down to around 20 degrees F is its usual limit. Protect young plants on cold nights. Water less in winter.

More plant watering guides

California Black WalnutEuropean LarchAlpine ToadflaxAustralian Fountain PalmSkunk CabbageOrange JessamineDesert IronwoodEgyptian Star Flower

Sources