WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Dianella ensifolia, WUCOLS IV

How often to water umbrella dracaena in California

In July on the north-central coast, established umbrella dracaena in loam needs a deep watering about every 9 days: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 1.1 gallons a week. Umbrella dracaena is not a true dracaena but a Dianella, an evergreen perennial that spreads by rhizomes. Its leathery, sword-shaped leaves form leafy clumps. Sprays of small, starry, deep blue flowers are followed by long-lasting blue or purple berries. It wants moderate, steady moisture and well-drained soil.

PerennialRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water umbrella dracaena, 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 umbrella dracaena 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

  • Umbrella dracaena leaves folding or dulling while the soil is dry a few inches down mean it needs water
  • Yellowing leaf bases in soggy soil point to overwatering
  • Leaf tips browning in a long dry spell point to a dry root zone
  • New shoots appearing away from the clump are rhizomes spreading, not a sign of thirst

How to water it

  • Water deeply at the base of the clump when the top few inches of soil dry
  • Plant in well-drained soil and mulch around the clump
  • Water across the whole patch as rhizomes widen it
  • Keep water off the crown in cool weather
  • Leave the berries on for color after the flowers fade

Through the seasons

Water new plants regularly until the clump settles. Established plants want moderate water through the dry season. It stays evergreen all year, and the blue or purple berries last a long time after bloom. Winter rain usually covers its needs on the coast. WUCOLS rates umbrella dracaena moderate water on the north-central coast and on the south coast. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the Central Valley, South Inland, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Umbrella dracaena makes a tidy clump in a wide container on a patio. Use a well-drained mix. Water when the top couple of inches dry, until it drains through. In summer, check every few days. Empty the saucer after each watering so roots never sit in water. Divide the clump when rhizomes crowd the pot. In winter, water only when the mix dries, since cool, wet roots rot.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
Not ratedWUCOLS does not rate Umbrella Dracaena for the Central Valley zone
A year
no figure
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses

WUCOLS lists Umbrella Dracaena as not evaluated for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Umbrella Dracaena: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.37–0.78–––
Feb0.53–0.81–––
Mar0.87–1.15–––
Apr1.18–1.4–––
May1.46–1.61–––
Jun1.61–1.74–––
Jul1.61–1.98–––
Aug1.49–1.86–––
Sep1.24–1.49–––
Oct0.87–1.15–––
Nov0.47–0.84–––
Dec0.31–0.65–––
Year12–15.5–––

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 not evaluated in the Central Valley, like umbrella dracaena. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Lilyleaf LadybellsAdenophora liliifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingArnicaArnica montananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingFrilly BergeniaBergenia ciliatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingCabbage on a StickBrighamia insignisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBasket PlantCallisia fragransnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingForest SedgeCarex sylvaticanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRusty FoxgloveDigitalis ferrugineanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBig-Flowered FoxgloveDigitalis grandifloranot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingWoolly FoxgloveDigitalis lanatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingSunset FoxgloveDigitalis obscuranot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMale FernDryopteris filix-masnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAlpine Sea HollyEryngium alpinumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPurple SpurgeEuphorbia dulcisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingQueen of the MeadowFilipendula ulmarianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingDropwortFilipendula vulgaris (Filipendula hexapetala)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingGentianGentiana scabra procumbensnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes umbrella dracaena, 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 much water does umbrella dracaena need per day?

In July on the north-central coast, established umbrella dracaena needs about 0.2 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 0.7 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 umbrella dracaena change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates umbrella dracaena separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated in the Central Valley zone, moderate water in the South Coastal zone, not evaluated 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 umbrella dracaena a real dracaena?

No, its botanical name is Dianella ensifolia. Dianella is a separate genus of rhizomatous perennials. Care differs from a houseplant dracaena.

Does umbrella dracaena have berries?

Yes, its small starry blue flowers give way to berries in blue or purple. They hold on for a long time. Leave them on the plant for show.

Is umbrella dracaena evergreen?

Yes, it keeps its leathery leaves all year. The clump widens by rhizomes. Old leaves can be cut out at the base.

Where does umbrella dracaena grow in California?

It is rated for coastal gardens. Inland and desert regions have no rating for it. Plant it in well-drained soil.

Can I grow umbrella dracaena in a pot?

Yes, it forms a neat clump in a wide container. Use a free-draining mix. Water once the upper inches dry out.

More plant watering guides

New Caledonian PineFormosa Sugar PalmArnicaNeemFrilly BergeniaBismarck PalmCabbage on a StickBasket Plant

Sources