WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Saxifraga spp., WUCOLS IV

How often to water saxifrage in California

In July in the Central Valley, established saxifrage in loam needs a deep watering about every 5 days: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 1.9 gallons a week. Saxifrages are low, mostly evergreen perennials that form mats or rosettes, from mossy cushions to the spreading strawberry begonia. The name means rock breaker, after plants that root in rock crevices. Most want part shade, consistent moisture and soil that drains well. They fail in two ways: drying out in hot sun, or rotting in soggy soil.

PerennialRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water saxifrage, 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 saxifrage 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 dry an inch down under the mat means it is time to water, since saxifrages do best with consistent moisture
  • Rosettes that go soft and limp in afternoon heat over dry soil point to a dry root zone
  • Clumps that rot out in the center during hot, humid summer weather call for less water and more shade
  • Yellowing, mushy rosettes in soil that stays wet point to overwatering and poor drainage

How to water it

  • Water at the edge of the mat or around each rosette, keeping water from pooling in the crowns
  • Wet the top few inches of soil, then water again before the surface dries out completely
  • Plant in part shade, in organically rich, gritty soil that stays moist but drains freely
  • Keep a thin layer of fine compost or grit between mats, never piled over the rosettes
  • Widen the watered area as mats spread, and as strawberry begonia runners root new plantlets

Through the seasons

Keep new plants evenly moist through their first warm season while the mats root in. Established saxifrages stay evergreen and want consistent moisture all year, with the most attention in hot, dry months. Most bloom in late spring or early summer, with small flowers held above the foliage. In hot inland summers keep them shaded, since most take sun only where summers are cool. WUCOLS rates saxifrage moderate water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley and on the south coast. It rates high water in South Inland. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the high desert or the low desert. Winter rain covers the cool months on the coast and in the Central Valley, as long as the soil drains.

In pots

Saxifrages can be grown in containers, and strawberry begonia is also grown as a houseplant. Use a gritty, well-drained mix and keep pots in shade or bright indirect light. Check the mix with a finger every day or two in summer heat, since small pots dry fast. Water until it drains from the holes, then empty the saucer so the crowns never sit wet. In winter, water only when the top of the mix is dry, because cold, soggy mix rots the rosettes.

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
1.02.03.04.00.4JAN0.65FEB1.09MAR1.52APR2.08MAY2.48JUN2.67JUL2.39AUG1.8SEP1.18OCT0.56NOV0.34DEC1.02.03.04.00.4JFM1.52AMJ2.67JAS1.18OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 2.67 in Jul, 17.11 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Saxifrage: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.40.781.24––
Feb0.530.650.811.39––
Mar0.871.091.152.08––
Apr1.181.521.42.58––
May1.462.081.613.12––
Jun1.612.481.743.67––
Jul1.612.671.984.02––
Aug1.492.391.863.72––
Sep1.241.81.492.98––
Oct0.871.181.152.13––
Nov0.470.560.841.44––
Dec0.310.340.651.09––
Year1217.1115.529.46––

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 saxifrage. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

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

Similar plants that need less water 16

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

AgapanthusAgapanthus orientalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGeraniumsPelargonium x hortorum and cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySalviaSalvia greggii ssp., cvs. & hybridslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyIrisesIris germanicalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySucculentsEcheveria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRussian SagePerovskia spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyYarrowAchillea millefolium (non-native hybrids)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain AlyssumAlyssum montanumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySilver SageSalvia argentealow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPurple MulleinVerbascum phoeniceumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySilvery YarrowAchillea clavennaelow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyFern Leaf YarrowAchillea filipendulinalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCalifornia Native YarrowAchillea millefolium (CA native cultivars)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyWoolly YarrowAchillea tomentosalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPerennial HollyhockAlcea rosea cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain Lady's MantleAlchemilla alpinalow 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 saxifrage, 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 saxifrage in summer?

In July, established saxifrage in loam needs a deep watering about every 5 days in the Central Valley, about every 7 days on the south coast and about every 4 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 saxifrage need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established saxifrage needs about 0.3 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 1.1 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 saxifrage change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates saxifrage separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, moderate water in the Central Valley zone, moderate water in the South Coastal zone, high 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 saxifrage need sun or shade?

Part shade suits most saxifrages, and many tolerate a lot of shade. Strawberry begonia does well in full shade. Some kinds take sun only in cool summer climates with steady moisture.

Is strawberry begonia a begonia?

No. Strawberry begonia, also called strawberry geranium, is Saxifraga stolonifera. It is neither a begonia nor a geranium. The names come from its strawberry-like runners and rounded leaves.

Why is my saxifrage rotting in the middle?

Many saxifrages rot out in the center during hot, humid summers, especially in wet soil. Water less often, improve drainage with grit, and give the plant more shade. Avoid overwatering, which these plants handle poorly.

How do I propagate strawberry begonia?

It spreads by thin runners that form small plantlets at their tips. Root a plantlet directly in soil or a small pot. It roots easily, which is why it is also called mother of thousands.

What soil does saxifrage like?

Soil that holds moisture but drains freely. Mossy and silver saxifrages want gritty, organically rich soil, and silver saxifrage prefers neutral to alkaline soil. Strawberry begonia tolerates heavy clay.

When does saxifrage bloom?

Mossy hybrids and strawberry begonia flower from late spring to early summer. Silver saxifrage blooms later, in midsummer. The evergreen mats stay attractive the rest of the year.

More plant watering guides

Snowdrop WindflowerNorfolk Island PineGreen Supreme ManzanitaMassachusetts ManzanitaMountain SandwortTall Oat GrassSwamp MilkweedOrange Milkweed

Sources