WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Jasminum mesnyi, WUCOLS IV

How often to water primrose jasmine in California

In July in the Central Valley, established primrose jasmine in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across, about 7.6 gallons a week. Primrose jasmine is a sprawling evergreen shrub from southwestern China, with long, arching green stems and glossy leaves of three leaflets. Lemon yellow flowers open in winter and spring. Given support, it can be trained up a pergola or left to spill over a wall or bank. It needs less water on the coast than in the hotter inland zones.

ShrubRated for 6 of 6 zones

How often to water primrose jasmine, 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 primrose jasmine 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 beneath the arching canes means the mound is ready for a deep soak
  • Glossy leaflets that droop in afternoon heat and are still limp the next morning, over dry soil, point to thirst
  • Few flowers in winter and spring can come from too much shade rather than too little water
  • Yellowing leaves while the soil stays soggy point to poor drainage around the roots
  • Sticky leaves or white cottony tufts on the stems point to aphids, scale or mealybugs, not a watering fault

How to water it

  • Water at the base of the mound with drip or a slow hose rather than spraying over the long canes
  • Soak the root zone about a foot deep, then let the top few inches dry before watering again
  • Spread wood chip mulch under the mound, kept a few inches back from the stems
  • Plant in well-drained soil, ideally at the top of a wall or bank where the canes can spill down
  • Move emitters outward as the plant grows, since a mature mound spreads about as wide as it is tall

Through the seasons

Water a new primrose jasmine through its first summer, until its roots spread past the planting hole. Established plants need deeper, less frequent soakings. It stays evergreen and blooms in winter and spring, so dry winter spells matter as well as summer heat. Winter rain covers the cool months on the north-central coast and the south coast, where WUCOLS rates it low water. Winter rain also covers the Central Valley, where it rates moderate water. It rates moderate water in South Inland, the high desert and the low desert. In both deserts, check the soil through long dry winter stretches.

In pots

Primrose jasmine is listed for patio containers, though its mound can reach 5 to 10 feet across in the ground. Choose a large, tall pot so the arching canes can cascade over the rim. Check the mix 2 inches down every few days in summer, and more often in valley or desert heat. Water until it drains from the holes, then empty the saucer. It flowers in winter and spring, so keep checking the mix through the cool months rather than letting a blooming plant dry out.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
2.67gal per sq ft in JulyModerate water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
17.11 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
0.761.52.33.00.4JAN0.65FEB1.09MAR1.52APR2.08MAY2.48JUN2.67JUL2.39AUG1.8SEP1.18OCT0.56NOV0.34DEC0.761.52.33.00.4JFM1.52AMJ2.67JAS1.18OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 2.67 in Jul, 17.11 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Primrose Jasmine: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.40.310.780.740.78
Feb0.210.650.320.870.930.93
Mar0.351.090.461.31.461.52
Apr0.471.520.561.611.891.95
May0.582.080.641.952.392.45
Jun0.642.480.692.292.852.79
Jul0.642.670.792.513.042.85
Aug0.62.390.742.332.792.6
Sep0.51.80.61.862.142.08
Oct0.351.180.461.331.461.49
Nov0.190.560.330.90.930.96
Dec0.120.340.260.680.650.68
Year4.817.116.218.4121.2721.08

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 moderate water in the Central Valley, like primrose jasmine. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

RosesRosa hybrids..bushmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyAzaleasRhododendron spp. (CA native and non-native spp.)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCamelliasCamellia japonica (SHADE IN DESERT)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGardeniasGardenia spp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBird of ParadiseStrelitzia reginae (shade in desert)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHibiscusHibiscus rosa-sinensismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySago PalmCycas revolutamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyStar JasmineTrachelospermum jasminoides and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyArborvitaeThuja occidentalis ssp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBambooBambusa spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyLilacsSyringa hybrids (including Descanso hybrids)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySpireaSpiraea spp. (CA native and non native spp.)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyButterfly BushBuddleja davidii and hybridsmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySageSalvia officinalis and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyRed BuckeyeAesculus paviamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyWestern ServiceberryAmelanchier alnifoliamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

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

LavenderLavandula spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRosemaryRosmarinus officinalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBougainvilleaBougainvillea & spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyOlive TreesOlea europaea ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCrape MyrtleLagerstroemia spp., hybrids & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyLantanaLantana camara ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySalviaSalvia greggii ssp., cvs. & hybridslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyAloeAloe spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySucculentsEcheveria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyJunipersJuniperus spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRussian SagePerovskia spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySagebrushArtemisia spp. (shrubby)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyWild PrivetLigustrum vulgarelow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCoralberrySymphoricarpos orbiculatus (SHADE)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySydney Golden WattleAcacia longifolialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBlue Leaf WattleAcacia salignalow water, Central Valley1.07 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 primrose jasmine, 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 primrose jasmine in summer?

In July, established primrose jasmine in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days in the Central Valley, about every 27 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 primrose jasmine need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established primrose jasmine needs about 1.1 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 4.3 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 primrose jasmine change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates primrose jasmine separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, moderate water in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, moderate water in the South Inland zone, moderate water in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, moderate water in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

How do I prune an overgrown primrose jasmine?

Cut it back hard to renew a tangled plant. Occasional hard pruning keeps it from turning into a brush pile of old canes. Water the cut-back shrub only when its usual soil check shows dry soil.

Is primrose jasmine fragrant?

Reports differ. Some describe the yellow flowers as unscented and others as fragrant. Smell a plant in bloom before you buy it if scent matters to you.

How is primrose jasmine different from winter jasmine?

Both have yellow flowers on arching green stems. Primrose jasmine is evergreen, with larger flowers that open later, while winter jasmine is deciduous. Primrose jasmine is also less cold hardy.

Can primrose jasmine cover a fence or pergola?

Yes. Its canes grow 6 to 10 feet long and can be tied to a support at the height you want. The tips then spill over like a waterfall. It also works well on a bank or a large wall.

Does primrose jasmine grow in shade?

It grows in sun or shade, but shade reduces flowering. A shaded plant dries out more slowly, so check the soil before each soak.

What pests attack primrose jasmine?

Aphids, scale insects and mealybugs can feed on it. Red spider mite is mainly a problem on plants grown under glass. Treat the pest itself, since extra water will not clear an infestation.

More plant watering guides

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Sources