WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Salvia leucophylla ssp. & cvs., WUCOLS IV

How often to water purple sage in California

In July in the Central Valley, established purple sage in loam needs a deep soak only about once a month or less: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across. Purple sage is an evergreen California native shrub with aromatic, whitish gray leaves and whorls of pinkish lavender flowers from spring into early summer. It grows wild on dry slopes from the Santa Maria area south into Baja California. Once established it wants little or no summer water near the coast. Extra water makes it rank and floppy.

ShrubCalifornia nativeRated for 6 of 6 zones

How often to water purple sage, 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 purple sage 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 at the edge of a young purple sage's root ball in its first summer calls for a deep soak
  • Wilting new growth on a young plant during a heat wave, with dry soil below, shows its roots have not spread far yet
  • Thinner, duller foliage on an established plant in a dry late summer is natural summer dormancy rather than a crisis
  • Tall, rank, floppy growth after regular summer watering shows the plant is getting more water than it wants
  • Browning flower whorls by midsummer are normal, since the bloom runs from spring into early summer

How to water it

  • Water a new purple sage over its root ball and the soil just beyond it, then let the top several inches dry before the next soak
  • Taper off summer water once it is established on the coast and in the Central Valley, but keep checking the soil in the deserts
  • Keep it out of the spray of lawn sprinklers and away from beds that get regular water
  • Plant in full sun on a slope or in clay or sandy soil, and avoid low spots that stay soggy
  • Move drip emitters outward as the shrub widens, since many plants spread 4 to 6 feet and some forms far wider

Through the seasons

Give a new purple sage deep soakings through its first summer while its roots spread. It stays evergreen, with gray leaves all year and flowers from spring into early summer. Once established, it can go dry in summer and rest in a natural summer dormancy. Winter rain covers the cool months on the north-central coast, the south coast and in the Central Valley. WUCOLS rates it low water on the north-central coast and in South Inland. It rates very low water in the Central Valley and on the south coast. It rates moderate water in the high desert and the low desert, where summer soil checks still matter.

In pots

Purple sage can live in a large container for a few years, though it grows into a broad shrub. Use a gritty, fast-draining mix and a pot with open holes. Check the mix 2 inches down every few days in summer heat, and water when it is dry there. Soak until water runs out the bottom, then empty the saucer. Keep a potted plant on the lean side, since generous watering makes it lanky. Potted plants have come through 8 degrees F without damage, and winter rain may be all a pot needs.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
0.27gal per sq ft in JulyVery low water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
1.71 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
0.761.52.33.00.04JAN0.07FEB0.11MAR0.15APR0.21MAY0.25JUN0.27JUL0.24AUG0.18SEP0.12OCT0.06NOV0.03DEC0.761.52.33.00.04JFM0.15AMJ0.27JAS0.12OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 0.27 in Jul, 1.71 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Purple Sage: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.040.080.310.740.78
Feb0.210.070.080.350.930.93
Mar0.350.110.110.521.461.52
Apr0.470.150.140.641.891.95
May0.580.210.160.782.392.45
Jun0.640.250.170.922.852.79
Jul0.640.270.213.042.85
Aug0.60.240.190.932.792.6
Sep0.50.180.150.742.142.08
Oct0.350.120.110.531.461.49
Nov0.190.060.080.360.930.96
Dec0.120.030.070.270.650.68
Year4.81.711.557.3721.2721.08

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 very low water in the Central Valley, like purple sage. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

OleanderNerium oleander ssp. & cvs.very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyAgaveAgave americana (and thick-leaved relatives)very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCactusOpuntia spp. & cvs. (CA natives and non-natives)very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulySpanish BroomSpartium junceumvery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyPearl AcaciaAcacia podalyriifoliavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyBig SagebrushArtemisia tridentatavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCalifornia Scrub OakQuercus berberidifoliavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyNuttall's Scrub OakQuercus dumosavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCreosote BushLarrea tridentata ssp. & cvs.very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyBlack SageSalvia mellifera ssp. & cvs.very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyBeaked YuccaYucca rostrata ssp. & cvs.very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyToyonHeteromeles arbutifolia ssp. & cvs.very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyFox Tail AgaveAgave attenuata (and thin-leaved relatives)very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulySaltbushAtriplex (CA native species) & ssp. & cvs.very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyOak TreesQuercus agrifoliavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulySalt CedarTamarix aphyllavery low water, Central Valley0.27 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 purple sage, 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 purple sage in summer?

In July, established purple sage in loam needs a deep watering about once a month or less in the Central Valley, about once a month or less 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 purple sage need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established purple sage needs about 0.1 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 0.4 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 purple sage change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates purple sage separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, very low water in the Central Valley zone, very low water in the South Coastal zone, low 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.

Is purple sage a California native?

Yes. It belongs to coastal sage scrub and chaparral, where it grows on hot, dry hillsides. That background is why it needs so little summer water near the coast.

How do I prune purple sage?

Tip prune after flowering once the stems turn woody. Young plants can be cut back by about a third in winter to keep them dense. Avoid hard cuts into old wood.

Why is my purple sage leggy?

Too much water is a common cause. With regular summer irrigation it can grow rank and stretch to about 8 feet. Cut back on water and give it full sun.

Does purple sage attract hummingbirds?

Yes. Hummingbirds, bees and butterflies visit the flowers, and birds eat the seed. It suits a habitat or butterfly garden.

Will deer eat purple sage?

It is not particularly attractive to browsing animals such as deer. That makes it a good choice for gardens at the edge of open land.

Which purple sage cultivar should I plant?

'Point Sal Spreader' stays low, around 2 to 3 feet, and spreads to about 10 feet. 'Amethyst Bluff' is a much larger form that can spread about 15 feet wide. 'Figueroa' has especially white leaves and grows about 4 to 6 feet tall and wide.

More plant watering guides

Salt CedarPearl AcaciaNaked LadyBig SagebrushVoodoo LilyCalifornia PoppyCypress SpurgeDaffodil

Sources