WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Caltha palustris, WUCOLS IV

How often to water marsh marigold in California

In July in the Central Valley, established marsh marigold in loam needs a deep watering about every 3 days: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 3.0 gallons a week. Marsh marigold is a clump-forming perennial that thrives at the edge of ponds, streams and other consistently wet ground, with glossy leaves and bright yellow spring flowers. It needs soil that stays wet or saturated, unlike most garden perennials. Hot, dry summer heat can push an established clump into early dormancy.

PerennialCalifornia nativeRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water marsh marigold, 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 marsh marigold 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 drying out at the surface near a marsh marigold clump signals it needs water right away
  • Leaves yellowing with the clump going dormant early in summer heat can follow soil that dried between waterings
  • Wilted or crisped leaf edges over dry ground can indicate the bog or pond margin has dried
  • Summer dieback can be marsh marigold dormancy, but check that the planting has not dried out
  • Water covering marsh marigold foliage is too deep for this shallow pond-margin plant

How to water it

  • Plant marsh marigold at a pond margin, bog garden or spot where water naturally collects after rain
  • Keep the root zone saturated or constantly moist through spring growth and flowering
  • Give afternoon shade in hot inland gardens to slow the soil from drying between waterings
  • Use a liner or heavy clay base so a built bog bed holds moisture longer
  • Expand the wet planting area as rhizomes spread and the clump widens

Through the seasons

Keep a newly planted marsh marigold's roots constantly wet through its first spring and summer while rhizomes establish. Established clumps bloom in early spring, then can die back and rest through hot, dry summer weather, especially inland. This species is not native to California and depends on a bog, pond edge or similarly wet site rather than ordinary garden soil. WUCOLS rates it high water on the north-central coast and in the Central Valley. It is not suited to South Inland. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the south coast, the high desert or the low desert. Coastal and valley winter rain helps keep a wet site saturated, but summer irrigation still carries most of the load.

In pots

Grow marsh marigold in a container of moisture-retentive soil at a shallow pond edge or in a small water garden. Keep the soil wet and the foliage above the water; this is a marginal plant, not a deep-water specimen. Check the water level during California summer heat, when a small vessel can dry rapidly. Afternoon shade can reduce sun-driven summer dormancy. During winter, continue checking that the rhizomes have moisture rather than treating a bare pot as an ordinary dry perennial container.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
4.27gal per sq ft in JulyHigh water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
27.38 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
1.12.13.24.30.64JAN1.04FEB1.74MAR2.43APR3.32MAY3.97JUN4.27JUL3.82AUG2.88SEP1.88OCT0.89NOV0.55DEC1.12.13.24.30.64JFM2.43AMJ4.27JAS1.88OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 4.27 in Jul, 27.38 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Marsh Marigold: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.60.64––––
Feb0.841.04––––
Mar1.391.74––––
Apr1.882.43––––
May2.333.32––––
Jun2.583.97––––
Jul2.584.27––––
Aug2.383.82––––
Sep1.982.88––––
Oct1.391.88––––
Nov0.740.89––––
Dec0.50.55––––
Year19.227.38––––

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 high water in the Central Valley, like marsh marigold. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Japanese Sweet FlagAcorus gramineushigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyRed GingerAlpinia purpuratahigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyShell GingerAlpinia zerumbethigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulySiberian BuglossBrunnera macrophyllahigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyUmbrella Sedge and PapyrusCyperus spp. (CA native and non-native species)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyUmbrella PlantDarmera peltata (Peltiphyllum)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyFoxgloveDigitalis purpurea cvshigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyLeopard PlantFarfugium japonicum cvs. (Ligularia tussilaginea cvs.)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyTransvaal DaisyGerbera jamesonii & hybridshigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyGiant GunneraGunnera manicatahigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyWhite Ginger LilyHedychium coronariumhigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyJapanese IrisIris ensatahigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyRushJuncus aquatic spp. (native and non-native spp.)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCardinal FlowerLobelia cardinalis hybrids and cvs. (CA native and non-native spp.)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyBananaMusa spp. (shade in low desert)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulySensitive FernOnoclea sensibilishigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

Rated lower than marsh marigold in the Central Valley. Worth a look for a new bed or a lawn replacement.

DahliasDahlia spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyFernsNephrolepis cordifolia (SHADE IN DESERT)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyDayliliesHemerocallis spp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBegoniasBegonia & ssp. & cvs. (shade in the desert)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCalla LiliesZantedeschia aethiopica SHADE IN DESERTmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySageSalvia officinalis and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBicolor MonkshoodAconitum cammarummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGarden MonkshoodAconitum napellusmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCarpet BugleAjuga reptans (shade)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySnowdrop WindflowerAnemone sylvestrismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain SandwortArenaria montanamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySwamp MilkweedAsclepias incarnatamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyOrange MilkweedAsclepias tuberosamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGreater MasterwortAstrantia majormoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHardy BegoniaBegonia grandismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyWax BegoniaBegonia semperflorensmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 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 marsh marigold, 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 much water does marsh marigold need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established marsh marigold needs about 0.4 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 1.7 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 marsh marigold change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates marsh marigold separately for each of the six California climate zones: high water in the North-Central Coastal zone, high water in the Central Valley zone, not evaluated in the South Coastal zone, not suited to this region 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.

Can marsh marigold grow in regular garden soil?

Marsh marigold needs a bed that remains consistently moist to wet. A pond margin or bog is suitable, and a garden bed works only if it maintains that moisture. Avoid a site that dries between irrigations.

Is marsh marigold a California native wetland plant?

No. It is not native to California, and it should not be confused with native wetland plants sold at native plant nurseries. Check the label or source if you want a California native alternative for a bog garden.

Why did my marsh marigold disappear in summer?

It commonly goes dormant in hot, dry weather, especially inland and in full sun. The rhizomes rest below ground and send up new growth the following spring. Afternoon shade can delay this dieback somewhat.

Is marsh marigold safe to touch or eat?

Do not eat marsh marigold raw; its leaves contain a toxic compound that can cause serious symptoms if consumed. Keep it away from browsing children and pets. Use gloves for garden handling without assuming the plant is safe to eat.

Can marsh marigold grow directly in a pond?

Place marsh marigold in mud or very shallow water at the pond edge, with its leaves above the surface. It is not a plant for the deep center of a pond. Watch water levels so the soil stays wet without the whole plant becoming submerged.

More plant watering guides

Cardinal FlowerBananaSensitive FernRoyal FernRedwood SorrelPink KnotweedSoft Shield FernBlack Cottonwood

Sources