my favourite ceanothus
5
quick grower, smothered in glorious blue flowers, adored by bees.
sapphire in diamonds
Northamptinshire
Ceanothus 'Concha'
Californian lilac
2 litre pot
available to order from summer
- Position: full sun
- Soil: fertile, well-drained soil
- Rate of growth: average
- Flowering period: May to June
- Hardiness: frost hardy (needs winter protection in cold areas)
In late spring, this dense, evergreen shrub produces dazzling spheres of tiny dark blue flowers on arching branches among small, glossy, dark green leaves. It is ideal for a sunny mixed border on neutral to alkaline soil and once it has flowered, provides an excellent foil for later flowering deciduous shrubs or perennials. - Garden care: Each year after the plant has flowered, reduce the shoots by one third and apply a 5-7cm (2-3in) mulch of well-rotted organic matter around the base of the plant.
Goes well with
Big healthy plant
4
Lovely healthy plant arrived that was put in the ground immediately. Loves the conditions and is thriving beautifully. Good advice from Crocus. Looking forward to it flowering next year.
Waybug
South Devon
I would buy this plant again
5
Lovely healthy plant which arrived in excellent condition, within a few days ordering. Enjoying the profusion of blue flowers. I highly recommend this website.
Fiona
Warwickshire
Gorgeous shrub, flowers for ages
5
I love this shrub, it flowers for ages and the flowers are an intense lilac/blue. When not in flower it still looks good because the leaves are dark and glossy, so it looks lovely against a fence or wall. It can get a bit sparse/leggy if you don't prune it, or if the position is too shady (the base of ours is in shade and those branches tend to drop their leaves). But you can prune it back quite hard and it recovers well.
Suzi9
London
714
4.8
4
100.0
- Hello, can this be grown as a climber up a sturdy trellis?
-
Dale
-
Hello, It is possible to grow this as a wall shrub, but you will need a sturdy support for it.
Helen
- Hello. Could you tell me which Ceanothus has the darkest blue flowers please? I love the really almost sapphire coloured flowers and don't want to mistakenly get something which turns out to be just ordinary blue. Thanks
-
Pence
-
Hello there I believe 'Concha' and 'Puget Blue' have the deepest blue. Hope this helps.
- Photinia 'Red Robin' has black spots on leaves? Also shrubs for sunny border please Hello Crocus Can you tell me why my Photinia 'Red Robin' has black spots on its leave - and how to treat it please! Many thanks Linda
-
Linda Binfield
-
Hello again Linda, Viburnum tinus 'French White' is an evergreen shrub that flowers in late winter and spring, so you could get too seasons of interest - just click on the following link to go straight to it. http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/shrubs/viburnum-tinus-french-white/classid.4484/ Mahonias will flower in winter too http://www.crocus.co.uk/search/_/search.mahonia/ while Daphne odora Aureomarginata is pretty early in the spring http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/shrubs/daphne-odora-aureomarginata/classid.3751/ For shrubs that flower throughout the summer, then here are some of my favourites:- Ceanothus http://www.crocus.co.uk/search/_/search.ceanothus/ Lavender http://www.crocus.co.uk/search/_/search.lavandula/ Hebe http://www.crocus.co.uk/search/_/search.hebe/ I hope this gives you a few ideas. Helen Plant Doctor
Crocus Helpdesk
I'll try that Helen - thank you. Also I have a lovely Crocus voucher to spend! I have just cleared an old sunny border in front of an ornamental wall. I have kept a large Hydrangea at the end of the border but would like a couple of shrubs to put alongside to give some winter colour. Do you have any suggestions that would complement the Hydrangea? Thank you for your prompt reply. Linda
Crocus Helpdesk
Hello Linda, The most likely cause of these black spots is Fungal Leaf Spot. This can be caused by a number of things, but is usually a result of the plant being stressed in some way. It may be that it was slightly too cold in winter, or if it is in a pot it may need to be moved to a larger one, or planted out into the ground. Keep an eye on the watering and try to improve the general growing conditions and you should start to see new growth. If the black spots are really unsightly, you should pick off the affected leaves (being careful not to defoliate it completely) and give it a feed with a general purpose fertiliser like Growmore. I hope this helps. Helen Plant Doctor
Linda Binfield
- Ceonothus 'caught' by cold weather.... Hi, I wonder if you could help me! I have a large, established low-growing Ceanothus that has never had a problem with the cold weather before, but this year's snow has caused most of the usually evergreen foliage to turn brown and take a turn for the worse. There is still some foliage towards the bottom of the plant that's still green. Do I leave it be, trim it back or has it died? Many thanks, Gareth
-
Hello Gareth, Ceanothus are not fully hardy, and they are quite short-lived too, so they usually only last around 6 - 8 years. Therefore I suspect that the combination of old age and freezing temps have taken their toll and it is time to replace it. I'm sorry not to be more help. Helen Plant Doctor
Crocus Helpdesk
- Clay loving evergreen plant for covering a wall Sir, I need to hide an ugly brick wall. I would prefer to have all year cover, meaning evergreen, and not over 6` or so tall, and able to thrive in my clay rich soil. I thought of a blue lilac but am not sure if the roots could cope. A variety of plants might look nice and would breakup the monotony of the wall, but your advice would be much appreciated. Sincerely, Dorothy.
-
dorothy
-
Hello Dorothy, There are several plants you could consider, including the Ceanothus if your soil is not too heavy. Alternatively any of the following would work well Aucuba http://www.crocus.co.uk/search/_/search.aucuba/ Elaeagnus x ebbingei http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/shrubs/elaeagnus-%C3%97-ebbingei-/classid.3772/ Garrya http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/shrubs/garrya-elliptica-james-roof/classid.3880/ Pyracantha http://www.crocus.co.uk/search/_/search.pyracantha/ I hope this gives you a few ideas. Helen Plant Doctor
Crocus Helpdesk
- Specimen Ceanothus or another large bushy shrub.... Good afternoon, When I was first looking for a Ceanothus to replace the one we have in our front garden, I looked on your website, but you only had small ones. Our once lovely Ceanothus has been pruned out of all recognition again this year, as I planted it a bit too near our boundary when it was a baby. I know it may come back, but it is getting ridiculous as every time it grows back it has to be cut back again severely and then ooks a mess for most of the year. Have you got a nice, tall, bushy Ceanothus to replace it? I love my Ceanothus but perhaps if you don't have a big one, do you have another large, flowering shrub as an alternative? Hope you can help Regards Margaret
-
D DRAKETT
-
Hello Margaret, it is rare to find larger sized Ceanothus as they are usually quite short-lived and don't normally live longer than 6 - 8 years. We do have a selection of larger shrubs on our site like Hamamelis, Hydrangeas, Magnolias, Acer, Cornus, Cotinus, Philadelphus, Syringa and Viburnum, so you may find something of interest. They will be listed in this section. http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/ I hope this helps. Helen Plant Doctor
Crocus Helpdesk
- Best time to plant Climbing Roses Hi I am considering planting 3 types of climbing roses along fencing in my new garden. Could you please advise me on the best time to plant? I have choosen the 3 varieties I want to plant from your range. Can you send me a catalogue please? Thank you for your help
-
Hello There, The best time to plant new roses is in autumn, although they can be planted at any time of the year as long as the ground isn't frozen in winter and they are kept well watered in summer. As for the catalogue, I'm afraid we do not do a paper catalogue any more, but we do have an online version - just click on the following link to go straight to it. http://www.crocus.co.uk/ecatalogue I hope this helps. Helen Plant Doctor
Crocus Helpdesk
- Which Ceanothus - Puget Blue,Concha or Autumnal Blue? Hello, I would like to plant 5 Ceanothus along the edge of my patio in large concrete rings. I was hoping that the Ceanothus would quickly grow to form a cascading effect between the concrete rings, can you advise me which variety would be best and what soil to fill the tubs with, thank you, sincerely, Paula
-
Paula O'Dwyer
-
Hello Paula, All of the Ceanothus you have listed are upright and shrubby, so if you want to create a cascading look then the best option would be Ceanothus thyrsiflorus repens, which will tumble over the edges of the rings.
Crocus Helpdesk
- Rabbit proof shrubs Dear Sirs We are planning to plant a 30mt long border with flowering shrubs and have assorted colours of Rhododendrons in mind. Our main concern is that the shrubs must be rabbit proof as the border is adjacent to woods and a large grassed area. Also, where possible we would like to have 'flowers' on the shrubs throughout the summer. Would you be able to provide a picking list of suitable shrubs? Thank you for your prompt attention Andy
-
Clark, Andy (buying)
-
Hello there, These are really troublesome pests, and there are no effective deterrents available (apart from getting a guard dog) which will be any help to you. They tend to prefer leaves and soft stems rather than flowers and woody stems, and they seem to prefer feeding in exposed positions and often nibble plants at the edge of borders. This habit can be used to the gardener's advantage by planting more valuable subjects in the centre of beds. In winter, when food is scarce, deciduous plants at the edge of beds will not interest rabbits, and will help protect winter flowers in the centre. Below is a list of flowering shrubs which they usually tend to leave alone. Buddleia davidii, Ceanothus Cistus Cotoneaster dammeri Deutzia Hebe Hypericum Hydrangea Mahonia aquifolium Potentilla fructicosa Rhododendron spp. I hope this helps. Helen Plant Doctor
Crocus Helpdesk
- How do I care for my climbing rose? I planted a climbing Iceberg Rose against the back wall of my garden last spring. It shot up from around 2ft to about 7 or 8ft and flowered really well, but it did start becoming bare at the base of the stems. This winter all the bottom leaves have fallen off and there are only a few leaves left on the very top. Is this normal for the time of year, and should I cut it back in spring?
-
Rachel Fiddes
-
It is perfectly normal for them to lose all their leaves as they are deciduous. Most climbing roses do become bare at the base as they age, as the plant is climbing towards the light so doesn't need the lower leaves to photosynthesis with. Hard pruning each autumn (cutting back some of the older shoots back to the base or to a strong outward facing bud) will help reduce this problem - or you can plant around the base to help cover up the stem.
Crocus
Large Flowered Clematis
It is difficult not to get excited about this fabulous group of plants. Their big, bold, brightly coloured flowers, coupled with their versatile growth habits, make this one of the most popular plant groups of all time. There is no secret to their success
Read full articleHow to create a wildlife-friendly garden
Wildlife-friendly gardens are not only more interesting as you can watch all the comings and goings, but they are often more productive as many creatures will help increase pollination. Garden ponds act as a magnet to dragonflies and damsel flies, along w
Read full articleProtecting tender plants
February, March and sometimes even April, can be the coldest months of the year and many plants can be severely damaged by late frosts that kills any new growth that might have begun to emerge. The best way to protect tender, wall shrubs such as ceanothus
Read full articleLow maintenance plants for a sunny garden
We all want a lovely garden but sometimes we are too busy with work and family, or we simply don’t have the inclination to garden incessantly, so the trick is to choose low maintenance plants such as easy shrubs and then to underplant them with ground cov
Read full article
