WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Lamium maculatum, WUCOLS IV

How often to water spotted deadnettle in California

In July in the Central Valley, established spotted deadnettle in loam needs a deep watering about every 8 days: about 2.2 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 1.9 gallons a week. Spotted deadnettle is a fast-growing, mat-forming groundcover in the mint family, 3 to 9 inches tall and spreading about 2 feet. Its crinkled leaves carry bold silver blotches that brighten deep shade. Small two-lipped flowers in purple, pink or white appear from late spring into summer. It wants shade and evenly moist, well-drained soil.

Ground coverRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water spotted deadnettle, 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 spotted deadnettle 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

  • Leaf edges browning and crisping point to soil that dried out or to too much sun, both common causes of scorch
  • Soil dry an inch down under the mat in summer means it is time to water, before the leaves scorch
  • Yellowing, rotting stems in soil that stays wet point to overwatering, since it does poorly in wet or compacted ground
  • Bare patches after midsummer heat call for cutting the plants back to push fresh leaves
  • Chewed leaves and slime trails point to slugs, and clusters of small insects to aphids

How to water it

  • Water the whole patch evenly with drip or a soaker, wetting the top 6 inches of soil
  • Keep the soil evenly moist in summer, watering again once the top inch dries
  • Plant in part to heavy shade, in average soil that drains well and is not compacted
  • Cut the plants back after flowering or after summer heat to renew the foliage
  • Space new plants 6 to 10 inches apart for quick cover, and widen watering as the stems root and spread

Through the seasons

Water new plants regularly until their stems root in and knit together. Flowers appear from late spring into summer, and in mild winters the leaves can last through the cool season. Summer is the hard part, since the leaves scorch if the soil dries or the sun is strong. Steady moisture and shade matter most from late spring to early fall. Its WUCOLS rating is moderate water in South Inland, on the south coast, in the Central Valley and on the north-central coast. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Spotted deadnettle can trail from a container in a shady spot, where its silver leaves light up a dark corner. Choose a container with drainage holes and a moisture-holding but free-draining mix. On hot days, feel the mix each morning and water when the top inch has dried, since dry mix scorches the leaves. Let excess water drain, then empty the saucer. Trim straggly stems to keep it full. In winter, water lightly.

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
0.671.32.02.70.4JAN0.65FEB1.09MAR1.52APR2.08MAY2.48JUN2.67JUL2.39AUG1.8SEP1.18OCT0.56NOV0.34DEC0.671.32.02.70.4JFM1.52AMJ2.67JAS1.18OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 2.67 in Jul, 17.11 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Spotted Deadnettle: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.40.780.78––
Feb0.530.650.810.87––
Mar0.871.091.151.3––
Apr1.181.521.41.61––
May1.462.081.611.95––
Jun1.612.481.742.29––
Jul1.612.671.982.51––
Aug1.492.391.862.33––
Sep1.241.81.491.86––
Oct0.871.181.151.33––
Nov0.470.560.840.9––
Dec0.310.340.650.68––
Year1217.1115.518.41––

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 spotted deadnettle. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Star JasmineTrachelospermum jasminoides and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHoneysuckleLonicera japonicamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyIvyHedera helixmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyStrawberriesFragaria spp. & cvs. (CA native and non-natives species)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCarpet BugleAjuga reptans (shade)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGreen Supreme ManzanitaArctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Green Supreme'moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyMassachusetts ManzanitaArctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Massachusetts'moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySerbian BellflowerCampanula poscharskyanamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBunchberryCornus canadensismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyKenilworth IvyCymbalaria muralismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCranesbillGeranium spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGreen CarpetHerniaria glabramoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyLemon BalmMelissa officinalismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyJapanese SpurgePachysandra terminalismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyMoss PinkPhlox subulatamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySpring CinquefoilPotentilla neumannianamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

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

BougainvilleaBougainvillea & spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyLantanaLantana camara ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyJunipersJuniperus 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 JulySagebrushArtemisia spp. (shrubby)low 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 JulyGround Morning GloryConvolvulus mauritanicuslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRock CotoneasterCotoneaster horizontalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySouth African GeraniumPelargonium sidoideslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyLippia GroundcoverPhyla nodiflora (Lippia nodiflora) cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRock SoapwortSaponaria ocymoideslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMother of ThymeThymus praecoxlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyVancouver Jade BearberryArctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Vancouver Jade'low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyTrailing LantanaLantana montevidensis (sellowiana) ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGermanderTeucrium chamaedrys ssp. & cvs.low 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 spotted deadnettle, 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 spotted deadnettle in summer?

In July, established spotted deadnettle 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 spotted deadnettle need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established spotted deadnettle 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 spotted deadnettle change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates spotted deadnettle 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, moderate 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.

Is spotted deadnettle invasive?

No. It spreads steadily with stems that root where they touch the ground, but it is easy to control and not considered aggressive. Pull stray stems at the edge of the bed.

Can spotted deadnettle grow in deep shade?

Yes. It does best in shade, including heavy shade, where its silver leaves stand out. Too much sun scorches the foliage.

Why are my lamium leaves scorched?

Scorch comes from soil that dried out or from too much sun. Move it into more shade and keep the soil evenly moist. Cut back damaged stems to bring fresh leaves.

Can you walk on spotted deadnettle?

Not often. It does poorly where foot traffic is heavy, so place it beside paths rather than on them. Add stepping stones if you must cross the bed.

Can you overwater spotted deadnettle?

Yes. It likes evenly moist soil but not wet ground, and soggy or compacted soil weakens it. Let the top inch dry before watering again.

More plant watering guides

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Sources