Ceanothus in Bloom

California Liluc


March is usually the prime month for Ceanothus blooms, and this year is no exception.

There are a lot of varieties from trees down to ground covers,evergreen or deciduous, medium to tiny leaves, blue flowers or white. Most all of them are perfect for an area with a long dry summer, but will likely die if given summer water when it's hot. It's especially a good idea to start these to take advantage of the rainy season's water then pretty much leave them alone during the summer. Maybe if they begin getting a few yellow leaves give them some water at night or on a cooler day. If the soil is well-drained they may tolerate bit more water. From personal experience I'd advise not to plant in April or May and expect to keep them alive unless you plant in the shade and water only a very little bit.

Some think of Ceanothus as short-lived, but this is likely only true if they are given summer water or soil amendments, otherwise they should live 20-25 years.¹

Pruning is an issue you will need to consider early on, unless you plant the ground cover or shrub varieties far away from anything else. If you leave pruning them too long, you will find that the underneath branches have died back and will not regrow leaves or flowers. So, if you do want to keep the plant from getting overgrown keep an eye on it. Or, plan your plantings so that everything is far enough apart that pruning isn't necessary. Ceanothus is fast growing.

Yankee Point is one of the most commonly used in the garden, and easiest to find. Dark star is an especially lovely dark blue/purple color. Snowy flurry is white, but there are 50 Ceanothus species in North America, 41 in California. They have adapted to various soils, climates, and elevations, since California has much climatic and geological variety to which they have adapted. In this diverse landscape several endemics have evolved that only grow wild in very limited locales. ²

The flowers, which bloom for about a month, attract bees, hummingbirds and butterflies. They also have the reputation of being attractive food for deer. However, this is less likely to be true of local species (small leaves especially), and when they are not watered or fertilized. Some native Americans used the blossoms as soap or shampoo - when wet the flowers do create a kind of lather when rubbed between the hands and are apparently cleansing.

The Chumash, one of the native societies that lived in what is now San Luis Obispo County and as far south as present-day Malibu, were more interested in the wood of the Ceanothus plant. In spite of all the varieties they must have encountered, they only distinguished the white blossom varieties from the blue blossomed varieties. The blue-flowered (washiko) lasted a long time in the ground so they used it in building fences, corals, and for poles used in sacred ceremonies. Washiko was often used to make digging sticks. They would choose a stick about four feet long and a little less than two inches in diameter. After the point was shaped, it was then hardened in alternating fire and water until it was sufficiently hard. Then it was often weighted with a stone with a central hole which was twisted up at least a foot from the bottom.³

Ceanothus is a lovely and easy plant for a drought tolerant garden.


¹Carol Bornstein, David Fross, and Bart O'Brien, Californa Native Plants for
the Garden, (Cachuma Press, Singapore,2005).

²David Fross and Dieter Wilkin, Ceanothus, (TimberPress, Inc. Portland, OR,
2006).

³Jan Timbrook, Chumash Ethnobotany, Plant Knowledge Among the Chumash People of Southern California, (Santa Barbara: Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 2007).