WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Duranta erecta (D. repens), WUCOLS IV

How often to water sky flower in California

In July in the Central Valley, established sky flower 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. Sky flower, also called golden dewdrop, is a fast, sprawling evergreen shrub whose older stems can carry thorns. Clusters of blue, purple or white flowers open from summer into fall, then hanging yellow-orange berries follow. Those berries are poisonous to children and dogs. It wants full sun, good drainage and steady water in warm weather.

ShrubRated for 5 of 6 zones

How often to water sky flower, 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 sky flower 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 2 to 3 inches down under the canopy during summer bloom signals that sky flower needs water
  • Leaves drooping at the branch tips through the morning can indicate thirst
  • Sticky leaves with tiny white insects underneath point to whiteflies rather than a water problem
  • Yellowing leaves falling from inside the shrub while the soil stays wet suggest overwatering or poor drainage

How to water it

  • Water under the outer branches with drip or a slow hose, not only at the trunk
  • Soak the soil about a foot deep, then let the top couple of inches dry before the next soak
  • Plant in well-drained soil, using a mound or raised bed where clay holds water
  • Mulch under the canopy to slow drying, keeping mulch off the main stems
  • Move emitters outward as the arching branches spread and the shrub gains size

Through the seasons

Water a new sky flower regularly through its first warm season while roots spread into the bed. Once established, it takes deeper soaks with drier gaps between them. It is evergreen and does most of its growing and blooming in warm months, so irrigation matters from late spring into fall. In cold climates it is grown as an annual, so hard frost is a real risk. Winter rain covers the cool months in the Central Valley and on the south coast. WUCOLS rates sky flower moderate water in the Central Valley, on the south coast, in South Inland, the high desert and the low desert. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the north-central coast.

In pots

Sky flower grows well in a large container, which makes it easy to move under cover in cold weather. Check the mix often in summer heat and water when the top inch or two is dry. Let water run out of the holes, then empty the saucer. Prune after flowering to keep a potted plant compact. In winter, water less as growth slows, and bring the pot into shelter before a freeze. Sweep up fallen berries where children and pets play.

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

Sky Flower: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan–0.40.780.780.740.78
Feb–0.650.810.870.930.93
Mar–1.091.151.31.461.52
Apr–1.521.41.611.891.95
May–2.081.611.952.392.45
Jun–2.481.742.292.852.79
Jul–2.671.982.513.042.85
Aug–2.391.862.332.792.6
Sep–1.81.491.862.142.08
Oct–1.181.151.331.461.49
Nov–0.560.840.90.930.96
Dec–0.340.650.680.650.68
Year–17.1115.518.4121.2721.08

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 sky flower. 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 sky flower 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 sky flower, 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 sky flower in summer?

In July, established sky flower in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days in the Central Valley, about every 11 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 sky flower need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established sky flower 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 sky flower change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates sky flower separately for each of the six California climate zones: not suited to this region in the North-Central Coastal zone, moderate water in the Central Valley zone, moderate 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.

Are sky flower berries poisonous?

Yes, the yellow-orange berries can be fatal to children and dogs if eaten, though birds eat them safely. Remove fruit clusters where kids or pets play. Removing fruit also limits unwanted seedlings.

When should I prune sky flower?

Prune after flowering to keep it more compact. Flowers form at the ends of the current season's growth. Wear gloves, since older stems may carry thorns.

Why is my sky flower sticky?

Sticky leaves often point to whiteflies, a known pest on this shrub. Turn the leaves over and look for tiny white insects. More water will not fix it.

How is Cuban Gold different?

It is a compact form with chartreuse foliage, often used as a low border or even a groundcover. Its smaller size means a smaller watered area. Check the soil at the same depth as for the full-size shrub.

Can I grow sky flower in the Bay Area?

The Bay Area falls in the north-central coast region, where WUCOLS marks sky flower as not suited. A pot in a warm, sheltered spot is the safer choice there. Move it under cover before frost.

More plant watering guides

Burr OakChinquapin OakPin OakEnglish OakRed OakShumard Red OakChinese Cork OakSouthern Live Oak

Sources