WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Euonymus fortunei radicans, WUCOLS IV

How often to water winter creeper in California

In July in the Central Valley, established winter creeper 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. Winter creeper is an evergreen woody vine or sprawling shrub from Japan. Young plants trail as a groundcover and root where stems touch moist soil, and given a wall or tree they climb with aerial rootlets, sometimes very high. It grows in sun to heavy shade and in many soils except wet ground, and birds spread its seeds.

VineRated for 6 of 6 zones

How often to water winter creeper, 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 winter creeper 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 3 inches down under the mat in summer means winter creeper is ready for water
  • Leaves dulling and drooping in afternoon heat can indicate thirst
  • Leaves browning in patches on a sunny wall after a dry spell can follow a dry root zone
  • Scorched leaf edges after cold, windy winter weather point to winter leaf burn rather than drought

How to water it

  • Water the groundcover evenly with drip lines or a soaker
  • Wet the soil about 6 to 8 inches down, then let the top few inches dry
  • Plant in sun to shade in any soil that does not stay wet
  • Trim runners away from trees and walls you want to keep clear
  • Cut off flowering, fruiting branches to limit seed spread

Through the seasons

Water a new planting regularly until stems spread and root in. Established plants grow in dry to moist soil and need moderate, deep watering in the dry months, more often on a hot, sunny wall than in shade. It keeps its leaves all year, and adult climbing stems flower in spring and carry orange-coated berries in fall. WUCOLS rates winter creeper moderate water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley and on the south coast. South Inland, the high desert and the low desert carry the same moderate water rating.

In pots

Winter creeper can trail from a pot or hanging basket, where it stays contained and away from trees. Use a well-drained mix. Water when the top inch or two is dry, letting water run through. In summer, check pots every couple of days. Pour off saucer water. Trim stems that root into nearby soil. In winter, rain may cover its needs, so check the mix before watering.

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

Winter Creeper: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.370.40.780.780.740.78
Feb0.530.650.810.870.930.93
Mar0.871.091.151.31.461.52
Apr1.181.521.41.611.891.95
May1.462.081.611.952.392.45
Jun1.612.481.742.292.852.79
Jul1.612.671.982.513.042.85
Aug1.492.391.862.332.792.6
Sep1.241.81.491.862.142.08
Oct0.871.181.151.331.461.49
Nov0.470.560.840.90.930.96
Dec0.310.340.650.680.650.68
Year1217.1115.518.4121.2721.08

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 winter creeper. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

JasmineJasminum polyanthummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyStar 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 JulyGrapevinesVitis vinifera ssp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyClematisClematis & ssp., hybrids & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyEvergreen ClematisClematis armandiimoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyArabian JasmineJasminum sambacmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHyacinth BeanLablab purpureus (Dolichos lablab)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyTrumpet HoneysuckleLonicera sempervirensmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyPink Trumpet VinePodranea ricasolianamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyPotato VineSolanum laxum (jasminoides)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyItalian ClematisClematis viticellamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHopsHumulus lupulusmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBoston IvyParthenocissus tricuspidatamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyVirginia CreeperParthenocissus quinquefolia ssp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 9

Rated lower than winter creeper 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 JulyWisteriaWisteria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyFlowering WoodbineLonicera periclymenumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyFleeceflowerFallopia baldschuanica (Polygonum aubertii)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCarolina JessamineGelsemium sempervirenslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCecile Brunner RoseRosa 'Cecile Brunner'low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyLady Banks RoseRosa banksiaelow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRoger's Red GrapeVitis 'Roger's Red'low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBlue Dawn Morning GloryIpomoea acuminatalow 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 winter creeper, 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 winter creeper in summer?

In July, established winter creeper 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 winter creeper need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established winter creeper 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 winter creeper change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates winter creeper 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, 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.

Is winter creeper invasive?

It can be, and it is listed as invasive in several eastern states. Birds spread its berries, and it can climb and smother trees. Keep it trimmed and off trees.

Will winter creeper climb my wall?

Yes, given support it climbs with aerial rootlets. As a groundcover it stays low. Prune it back from walls you want clear.

Can winter creeper grow in shade?

Yes, it grows in full sun to medium shade and tolerates heavy shade. Shady plantings dry out more slowly. Water less often there.

Is winter creeper poisonous?

It has low severity poison characteristics. Do not eat the berries. Keep pets from chewing it.

Why do variegated stems turn green?

Colored forms tend to revert to green. Cut green stems out where they appear. Water the plant as usual.

More plant watering guides

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Sources