WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Hedychium coronarium, WUCOLS IV

How often to water white ginger lily in California

In July in the Central Valley, established white ginger lily in loam needs a deep watering about every 3 days: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 3.0 gallons a week. White ginger lily is a tropical perennial that rises from thick rhizomes into leafy stems 3 to 6 feet tall. Its long leaves line up along each stem in a single flat plane. Through summer and fall it bears dense heads of very fragrant white flowers shaped like butterflies. It wants warm, humus-rich soil that stays moist but drains, and regular water through its growing season.

PerennialRated for 4 of 6 zones

How often to water white ginger lily, 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 white ginger lily 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 2 inches down in the clump signals that white ginger lily needs a thorough soak, especially in summer heat
  • Leaves rolling or drooping in the afternoon over dry soil can indicate thirst in this moisture loving plant
  • Yellowing stems and a mushy rhizome in waterlogged soil can indicate overwatering, since it does not tolerate standing water
  • Leaves blackened by frost are normal dieback in colder spots, and the rhizomes regrow in spring
  • Fine webbing or sticky scale on the leaves points to spider mites or scale rather than a watering fault

How to water it

  • Water at the base of the clump with drip or a soaker line, soaking the rhizome zone
  • Keep the soil evenly moist about 8 inches down through summer, letting only the surface dry
  • Plant in warm, humus-rich soil that drains well, in full sun near the coast or light shade inland
  • Mulch thickly over the rhizomes to hold summer moisture and protect them in cold winters
  • Widen the watered area as the rhizomes spread the clump outward

Through the seasons

Keep new rhizomes just moist until shoots appear, then water steadily as the leafy stems grow. Established clumps want regular, deep watering from late spring through the summer and fall bloom. In nearly frost-free coastal gardens the foliage stays evergreen, while frost knocks it to the ground elsewhere and growth resumes from the rhizomes. WUCOLS rates white ginger lily moderate water on the north-central coast. It rates high water in the Central Valley, on the south coast and in South Inland. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the high desert or the low desert. Reduce water in winter.

In pots

White ginger lily grows well in a large container, which can move to shelter in cold weather. Use a rich, well-drained mix and a pot with drainage holes. Keep the mix evenly moist through summer, checking it every day or two in hot weather. Water until excess drains, then empty the saucer so the rhizomes never sit in standing water. Cut back frosted stems in winter and keep the mix only slightly damp in a cool, frost-free place until new shoots appear.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
4.27gal per sq ft in JulyHigh water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
27.38 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
1.12.13.24.30.64JAN1.04FEB1.74MAR2.43APR3.32MAY3.97JUN4.27JUL3.82AUG2.88SEP1.88OCT0.89NOV0.55DEC1.12.13.24.30.64JFM2.43AMJ4.27JAS1.88OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 4.27 in Jul, 27.38 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

White Ginger Lily: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.641.241.24––
Feb0.531.041.291.39––
Mar0.871.741.842.08––
Apr1.182.432.232.58––
May1.463.322.583.12––
Jun1.613.972.783.67––
Jul1.614.273.174.02––
Aug1.493.822.983.72––
Sep1.242.882.382.98––
Oct0.871.881.842.13––
Nov0.470.891.341.44––
Dec0.310.551.041.09––
Year1227.3824.829.46––

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 high water in the Central Valley, like white ginger lily. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Japanese Sweet FlagAcorus gramineushigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyRed GingerAlpinia purpuratahigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyShell GingerAlpinia zerumbethigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulySiberian BuglossBrunnera macrophyllahigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyMarsh MarigoldCaltha palustrishigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyUmbrella Sedge and PapyrusCyperus spp. (CA native and non-native species)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyUmbrella PlantDarmera peltata (Peltiphyllum)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyFoxgloveDigitalis purpurea cvshigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyLeopard PlantFarfugium japonicum cvs. (Ligularia tussilaginea cvs.)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyTransvaal DaisyGerbera jamesonii & hybridshigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyGiant GunneraGunnera manicatahigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyJapanese IrisIris ensatahigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyRushJuncus aquatic spp. (native and non-native spp.)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCardinal FlowerLobelia cardinalis hybrids and cvs. (CA native and non-native spp.)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulyBananaMusa spp. (shade in low desert)high water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in JulySensitive FernOnoclea sensibilishigh water, Central Valley4.27 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

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

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
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes white ginger lily, 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 white ginger lily in summer?

In July, established white ginger lily in loam needs a deep watering about every 3 days in the Central Valley, about every 5 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 white ginger lily need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established white ginger lily needs about 0.4 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 1.7 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 white ginger lily change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates white ginger lily separately for each of the six California climate zones: moderate water in the North-Central Coastal zone, high water in the Central Valley zone, high water in the South Coastal zone, high 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.

Why does white ginger lily die back in winter?

Frost freezes the leafy stems to the ground in cooler gardens, but the rhizomes are hardy to roughly 0 to 10 degrees F. Cut off the dead stems and water lightly until new shoots appear. In frost-free coastal spots it stays evergreen.

How fragrant is white ginger lily?

Very. The white flowers, shaped like butterflies, are strongly scented through summer and fall. Plant it near a seating area or path.

Can white ginger lily grow in a wet spot?

It likes moist soil but does not tolerate standing water or continuously wet ground. Plant it where the soil drains, and keep it evenly moist rather than soggy.

Does white ginger lily need sun?

Near the coast it handles full sun, but inland it does better in light shade. Shade also helps the soil hold moisture in summer.

What pests attack white ginger lily?

Scale and spider mites can be troublesome, especially on plants grown indoors. Check the undersides of the leaves. Deer tend to ignore it.

More plant watering guides

Vine MapleHydrangeaBlueberriesBig Leaf MapleJapanese Sweet FlagWhite AlderRed AlderRed Ginger

Sources