How often to water pride of Madeira in California
In July in the Central Valley, established pride of Madeira in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across, about 3.0 gallons a week. Pride of Madeira is a fast-growing evergreen shrub from rocky cliffs on the island of Madeira, 5 to 6 feet tall and often wider. Narrow, hairy, gray-green leaves cluster at the branch ends. In spring, tall spikes of small blue-purple flowers rise above the foliage and draw bees, hummingbirds and butterflies. Once established near the coast, it needs little or no added water.
How often to water pride of Madeira, month by month
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.
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.
How to tell it needs water
- Gray-green leaves on pride of Madeira staying firm through a dry coastal summer show it needs no extra water
- Leaves wilting by midday inland while the soil is dry deep down mean it is due a soak
- Lower leaves yellowing on soil kept wet point to overwatering
- A woody, sparse plant after 4 to 6 years is aging, not thirsty
How to water it
- Water a young plant deeply until it roots in, then let rain do most of the work on the coast
- Give inland plants an occasional deep summer soak
- Plant in full sun in almost any soil
- Wear gloves to cut spent flower spikes, since the leaf hairs irritate skin
- Let a few seedlings grow to replace older, woody plants
Through the seasons
Water a new plant through its first dry season. On the coast, established plants need no added water at all, while inland plants like an occasional soak in summer. It is evergreen, blooms from spring into early summer, and lives about 4 to 6 years. Winter rain covers the cool months on the coast and in the Central Valley. WUCOLS rates pride of Madeira low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley, on the south coast and in South Inland. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the high desert or the low desert.
In pots
Pride of Madeira can grow in a big container for a few years, though it soon fills it. Use a well-drained mix in a heavy pot. Water when the top couple of inches are dry, then let it drain fully. In summer, check every few days, more often inland. Never leave water in the saucer. Wear gloves when you trim spent spikes. In winter, water rarely and protect it below about 25 degrees F.
- A year
- 6.84 gal per sq ft
- Reference
- Sacramento climate table
- Counts
- Plant need, before sprinkler losses
Monthly water need by climate zone
Pride of Madeira: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone
| Month | N. Coast | C. Valley | S. Coast | S. Inland | Hi Desert | Lo Desert |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.15 | 0.16 | 0.31 | 0.31 | – | – |
| Feb | 0.21 | 0.26 | 0.32 | 0.35 | – | – |
| Mar | 0.35 | 0.43 | 0.46 | 0.52 | – | – |
| Apr | 0.47 | 0.61 | 0.56 | 0.64 | – | – |
| May | 0.58 | 0.83 | 0.64 | 0.78 | – | – |
| Jun | 0.64 | 0.99 | 0.69 | 0.92 | – | – |
| Jul | 0.64 | 1.07 | 0.79 | 1 | – | – |
| Aug | 0.6 | 0.95 | 0.74 | 0.93 | – | – |
| Sep | 0.5 | 0.72 | 0.6 | 0.74 | – | – |
| Oct | 0.35 | 0.47 | 0.46 | 0.53 | – | – |
| Nov | 0.19 | 0.22 | 0.33 | 0.36 | – | – |
| Dec | 0.12 | 0.14 | 0.26 | 0.27 | – | – |
| Year | 4.8 | 6.84 | 6.2 | 7.37 | – | – |
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 low water in the Central Valley, like pride of Madeira. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.
LavenderLavandula spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
RosemaryRosmarinus officinalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
BougainvilleaBougainvillea & spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
AgapanthusAgapanthus orientalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
GeraniumsPelargonium x hortorum and cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Olive TreesOlea europaea ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Crape MyrtleLagerstroemia spp., hybrids & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
LantanaLantana camara ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
SalviaSalvia greggii ssp., cvs. & hybridslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
IrisesIris germanicalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
AloeAloe spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
SucculentsEcheveria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
JunipersJuniperus spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Russian SagePerovskia spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
YarrowAchillea millefolium (non-native hybrids)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Mountain AlyssumAlyssum montanumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyTurn this into minutes on your water days
Every city page has a calculator that takes pride of Madeira, 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 pride of Madeira in summer?
In July, established pride of Madeira in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days in the Central Valley, about every 27 days on the south coast and about every 22 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 pride of Madeira need per day?
In July in the Central Valley, established pride of Madeira needs about 0.4 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 1.7 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 pride of Madeira change across California?
Yes. WUCOLS rates pride of Madeira separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, low water in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, low water in the South Inland zone, not suited to this region in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, not suited to this region in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.
Is pride of Madeira invasive?
It self-sows freely and can be weedy. It has reportedly escaped near wild land in north San Diego County. Avoid planting it next to native habitat.
Why does nothing grow under my pride of Madeira?
Its old leaves form a dense mulch that suppresses plants below. Little grows under an established shrub. Keep precious plants away from it.
How long does pride of Madeira live?
It usually lives 4 to 6 years, and some reach 10. It reseeds itself. Let young plants replace old woody ones.
When should I prune pride of Madeira?
Remove flower spikes after bloom to tidy it. Cut back hard in late fall to reduce size and push new growth low on the stems. Wear gloves for the irritating hairs.
Is pride of Madeira deer resistant?
It is generally unpalatable to deer and other browsers. It is also a good seaside plant. Bees, hummingbirds and butterflies visit its flowers.
More plant watering guides
Sources
- WUCOLS IV plant water use classification for Echium candicans (fastuosum), the University of California survey California agencies use for landscape plan reviewRead August 23, 2026 on wucols.ucdavis.edu
- Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance, adopted text and appendices, effective 2025-01-02 · monthly reference evapotranspiration per city, Appendix CRead August 23, 2026 on water.ca.gov/-/media/DWR-Website/Web-Pages/Programs/Water-Use-And-Efficiency/MWELO-Rulemaking/Final-MWELO-Text-and-Appendices_20250103.pdf
- UC Statewide IPM Program, irrigation scheduling using evapotranspirationRead September 30, 2026 on ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/ENVIRON/evap.html
- Shaw and Pittenger, Landscape Irrigation System Evaluation and Management, UC Cooperative Extension, 2009Read September 30, 2026 on ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2013-02/160836.pdf
- Pittenger, Water Management in Gardens and Landscapes, UC Riverside, 2017Read September 30, 2026 on ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2017-03/258022.pdf