Autumnal Blue Californian Lilac Plants

Ceanothus 'Autumnal Blue', Californian Lilac Plants

Hats off to this Autumn-flowering ceanothus. It has glossy green foliage and clusters of small, sky blue flowers that bloom from August to the foothills of winter and is ideal for growing against a wall at the back of a sunny border.

It is a bit bigger than the earlier-flowering Ceanothus 'Lemon and Lime' (also variegated), growing to about 3.5 metres high and wide.

Ceanothus plants are only delivered pot-grown, year round.

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Features:

• Late-flowering evergreen
• Good informal screening, not suitable for clipped, formal hedging.
• Good backdrop or wall shrub for sunny borders.
• Clusters of small blue flowers August - October
• Any well-drained soil except chalk
• Max. Height x Spread: 3.5m x 3.5m
• RHS Award of Garden Merit
• Pot-Grown: Year Round Delivery

Growing Ceanothus 'Autumnal Blue'

Ceanothus are sun lovers and thrive against a sheltered South or West-facing wall. They need a well-drained but moist soil, ideally neutral to acidic; mildly alkaline is fine, but they are not suitable for chalk. Clay is good on a slope, brow of a hill, or other location that doesn't hold water in winter.

Their hardiness is rated H4, which means they will be fine in most places outside the coldest regions, as long as they are sheltered from cold, drying winds. Ceanothus don't respond well to hard pruning, so go gently.

In Your Garden Design

If you want a generous display of autumn colour in your garden then look no further than this abundant sun-worshipper. Leave to stand against a corner of a wall on its owner or pair with splashes of fresh-green euphorbia and euonymous Emerald n Gold combined with anemones such as September Charm. Follow the blue theme with Irish sibirica 'Caesar's Brother', add touches of purple with Lavandula Munstead and shades of pink with sebums.

Did You Know?

Ceanothus belongs to the buckthorn family and there are about 50-60 species within the genus, all native to North America. In California, a State known for its annual show of wildflowers, you can see great shrouds of them adding splashes of colour to hillsides. In America, they can be referred to as California Lilacs, but they are not related to European lilac.