How often to water winter jasmine in California
In July in the Central Valley, established winter jasmine in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across, about 3.0 gallons a week. Winter jasmine is a sprawling deciduous shrub whose green, four-angled stems carry bright yellow flowers in midwinter, before the leaves. The blooms are not fragrant. Long arching branches root where they touch soil, so one plant can form a colony on a bank or spill over a wall. Once established it tolerates drought and poor soil.
How often to water winter jasmine, month by month
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.
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.
How to tell it needs water
- Soil dry 4 inches down beneath the arching stems tells you winter jasmine is ready for a soak
- Leaflets wilting and curling in midsummer heat over dry soil can indicate thirst
- Sparse winter bloom after a parched summer can follow stress while next year's flowering wood was growing
- Bare green stems in late fall and winter are normal, since the shrub is deciduous
- Yellowing leaves and soft stem tips in soggy ground point to poor drainage
How to water it
- Water winter jasmine at the crown and under the arching stems with drip or a soaker, not overhead
- Wet the soil about a foot deep, then let it dry several inches down before watering again
- Plant it in full sun to part shade in well-drained soil, where it adapts to clay or sand
- Mulch under the branches to hold moisture, leaving bare spots where stems can root into the soil
- Add drip outward along the bank as rooted stems widen the colony
Through the seasons
Give a new winter jasmine regular water through its first summer, then let the soil dry more between soakings. Established plants tolerate drought and poor soil. Flowers open on bare stems in January and February, and leaves follow afterward. Next winter's flowers form on this year's growth, so prune right after bloom and keep water going through the summer growth spurt. Winter rain covers the cool months on the north-central coast and in the Central Valley in most years. WUCOLS rates winter jasmine low water on the north-central coast and in the Central Valley. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the south coast, South Inland, the high desert or the low desert.
In pots
Winter jasmine can trail from a large pot or raised planter, its green stems spilling over the edge. Use a container with drainage holes and an ordinary, free-draining mix. Through summer, test the mix 2 inches down every few days and water when it is dry. Let water run out, then empty the saucer. Rain may cover the pot in winter, but check during dry spells while it blooms on bare stems.
- A year
- 6.84 gal per sq ft
- Reference
- Sacramento climate table
- Counts
- Plant need, before sprinkler losses
Monthly water need by climate zone
Winter Jasmine: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone
| Month | N. Coast | C. Valley | S. Coast | S. Inland | Hi Desert | Lo Desert |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.15 | 0.16 | – | – | – | – |
| Feb | 0.21 | 0.26 | – | – | – | – |
| Mar | 0.35 | 0.43 | – | – | – | – |
| Apr | 0.47 | 0.61 | – | – | – | – |
| May | 0.58 | 0.83 | – | – | – | – |
| Jun | 0.64 | 0.99 | – | – | – | – |
| Jul | 0.64 | 1.07 | – | – | – | – |
| Aug | 0.6 | 0.95 | – | – | – | – |
| Sep | 0.5 | 0.72 | – | – | – | – |
| Oct | 0.35 | 0.47 | – | – | – | – |
| Nov | 0.19 | 0.22 | – | – | – | – |
| Dec | 0.12 | 0.14 | – | – | – | – |
| Year | 4.8 | 6.84 | – | – | – | – |
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 low water in the Central Valley, like winter jasmine. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.
LavenderLavandula spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
RosemaryRosmarinus officinalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
BougainvilleaBougainvillea & spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Olive TreesOlea europaea ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Crape MyrtleLagerstroemia spp., hybrids & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
LantanaLantana camara ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
SalviaSalvia greggii ssp., cvs. & hybridslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
AloeAloe spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
SucculentsEcheveria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
JunipersJuniperus spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Russian SagePerovskia spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
SagebrushArtemisia spp. (shrubby)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Wild PrivetLigustrum vulgarelow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
CoralberrySymphoricarpos orbiculatus (SHADE)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Sydney Golden WattleAcacia longifolialow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Blue Leaf WattleAcacia salignalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyTurn this into minutes on your water days
Every city page has a calculator that takes winter jasmine, 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 winter jasmine need per day?
In July in the Central Valley, established winter jasmine needs about 0.4 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 1.7 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 winter jasmine change across California?
Yes. WUCOLS rates winter jasmine separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, low water in the Central Valley zone, not evaluated 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.
When should I prune winter jasmine?
Prune right after it finishes flowering. It blooms on last year's growth, so a late cut removes next winter's flowers. Severe pruning after bloom renews an old, tangled plant.
Is winter jasmine fragrant?
No. Unlike many jasmines, its yellow flowers have no scent. It is grown for color in the middle of winter.
Can winter jasmine cover a slope?
Yes. Its arching stems root where they touch soil, so it can form a colony on a bank. Drip lines across the slope reach the rooted stems better than one emitter at the crown.
Does winter jasmine climb?
Not on its own. Tied to a trellis or other support, it can reach 10 to 15 feet. Unsupported, it mounds and cascades.
Can you overwater winter jasmine?
Yes. It wants well-drained soil, and constant wet around the crown invites rot. Once established, it gets by on much less water than the lawn nearby.
Why is my winter jasmine not blooming?
Pruning in summer or fall removes the wood that carries next winter's flowers. Prune only right after flowering. Keep the plant from drying out completely in summer while that wood grows.
More plant watering guides
Sources
- WUCOLS IV plant water use classification for Jasminum nudiflorum, the University of California survey California agencies use for landscape plan reviewRead August 23, 2026 on wucols.ucdavis.edu
- Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance, adopted text and appendices, effective 2025-01-02 · monthly reference evapotranspiration per city, Appendix CRead August 23, 2026 on water.ca.gov/-/media/DWR-Website/Web-Pages/Programs/Water-Use-And-Efficiency/MWELO-Rulemaking/Final-MWELO-Text-and-Appendices_20250103.pdf
- UC Statewide IPM Program, irrigation scheduling using evapotranspirationRead September 30, 2026 on ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/ENVIRON/evap.html
- Shaw and Pittenger, Landscape Irrigation System Evaluation and Management, UC Cooperative Extension, 2009Read September 30, 2026 on ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2013-02/160836.pdf
- Pittenger, Water Management in Gardens and Landscapes, UC Riverside, 2017Read September 30, 2026 on ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2017-03/258022.pdf