WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Limonium vulgare, WUCOLS IV

How often to water sea lavender in California

In July in the Central Valley, established sea lavender in loam needs a deep watering about every 14 days: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 0.8 gallons a week. Sea lavender is a clump-forming coastal perennial, about a foot tall, with basal rosettes of slender green to gray-green leaves. Through much of summer, branched, wiry stems hold airy sprays of papery lavender-lilac flowers that dry well. It is drought resistant, tolerates dry, stony soil, and suits coastal and gravel gardens.

PerennialRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water sea lavender, 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 sea lavender 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 3 inches down beside the rosette in summer signals sea lavender can take a soak
  • Rosette leaves losing their firmness during a long hot spell can indicate thirst
  • White powdery patches on leaves point to powdery mildew rather than water
  • A rosette rotting at the center in heavy, wet soil suggests poor drainage

How to water it

  • Water around the rosette with a gentle hose, keeping the center dry
  • Soak several inches down, then let the soil dry before watering again
  • Plant in full sun in well-drained, preferably sandy soil
  • Use it in gravel gardens and coastal plantings
  • Tidy flowered stems after the summer bloom

Through the seasons

Water a new plant regularly until it roots in, then let the soil dry between occasional soaks. Established clumps are drought resistant. Flowers run over a long period in summer and dry on the stem. In colder spots the foliage may thin in winter. WUCOLS rates sea lavender low water on the north-central coast and in the Central Valley, as well as on the south coast and in South Inland. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Sea lavender looks charming in a shallow pot of sandy, fast-draining mix in full sun. Water once the top inch or two dries, then let the extra drain out. In summer, check every few days. Keep the saucer empty. Cut flower stems for drying when the sprays are fully open. In winter, water only when the mix is dry. Divide a crowded pot in spring and replant the pieces in fresh sandy mix.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
1.07gal per sq ft in JulyLow water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
6.84 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
0.270.540.801.10.16JAN0.26FEB0.43MAR0.61APR0.83MAY0.99JUN1.07JUL0.95AUG0.72SEP0.47OCT0.22NOV0.14DEC0.270.540.801.10.16JFM0.61AMJ1.07JAS0.47OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 1.07 in Jul, 6.84 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Sea Lavender: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.160.310.31––
Feb0.210.260.320.35––
Mar0.350.430.460.52––
Apr0.470.610.560.64––
May0.580.830.640.78––
Jun0.640.990.690.92––
Jul0.641.070.791––
Aug0.60.950.740.93––
Sep0.50.720.60.74––
Oct0.350.470.460.53––
Nov0.190.220.330.36––
Dec0.120.140.260.27––
Year4.86.846.27.37––

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 sea lavender. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

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 sea lavender, 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 sea lavender in summer?

In July, established sea lavender in loam needs a deep watering about every 14 days in the Central Valley, about every 18 days on the south coast and about every 14 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 sea lavender need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established sea lavender needs about 0.1 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 0.4 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 sea lavender change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates sea lavender 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.

Can sea lavender grow by the beach?

Yes, it is native to coastal areas and ideal for seaside planting. It handles wind and salt. Give it full sun and sandy soil.

Can I dry sea lavender flowers?

Yes, the papery flowers dry well. Cut stems when the sprays are fully open. Hang them upside down to dry.

Is sea lavender related to lavender?

No, it only shares the color and name. It belongs to the plumbago family. Its watering needs differ from true lavender.

What diseases affect sea lavender?

Powdery mildew may appear. Water at the base and give plants room. Otherwise it is generally pest-free.

How do I propagate sea lavender?

Sow seed or divide clumps in spring. Plant divisions in sandy soil. Water lightly until they root.

More plant watering guides

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Sources