Saturday, February 18, 2012

Ceanothus Extravaganza

The Ceanothus are just exploding with blooms right now, and I'm not sure why. You'd think the lack of rain this winter would be a deterrent, but NOOOOO. What's up with that? First it was the phenomenal (though short-lived) blooms of the manzanitas, and now the Ceanothus are going to town. Moral of the story is, don't question, just enjoy...


2/7/12 'Valley Violet' Ceanothus (Ceanothus maritimus), growing next to 'Pigeon Point' dwarf coyote brush (Baccharis pilularis pilularis). At 1-2' H x 2-3' W, Valley Violet would work well in a smaller garden space. This one's growing next the the driveway in front of the garage. 

2/7/12 Ceanothus 'Concha' (hybrid of C. impressus x papillosus var. roweanus). One of the oldest, most reliable and popular of Ceanothus hybrids. 

2/7/12 'Remote Blue' Ceanothus. Hybrid of C. leucodermis x griseus.

2/7/12 'Ebbet's Field' Ceanothus (Native Sons Nursery introduction).

2/7/12 Wart-Stemmed Ceanothus (Ceanothus verrucosis). Not seeing any warts...

2/7/12 Otay Ceanothus (Ceanothus otayensis). Native to Otay Mountain in San Diego County. Got this one at last fall's RSABG native plant sale, although it seemed pretty bedraggled at the time. I bought it cuz it was the last one there and, sheesh, I really, really wanted - no, NEEDED to get one of these guys. Looks recovered now.

2/7/12 'Julia Phelps' Ceanothus (aka, Small Leaf Mountain Lilac). Hybrid of C. impressus x papillosus. An introduction from the Saratoga Horticultural Foundation. 

2/7/12 'Sierra Snow' Ceanothus. Ok, not many flowers, but at least it's flowering (last year, not even one piddly bloom). 

2/7/12 Hoary-leaved Ceanothus (Ceanothus crassifolius). This one's native to our property. Well, what kind of name is Hoary-leaved? What does Hoary mean? Sounds like a floozy.

2/7/12 'Ray Hartman' Ceanothus (C. arboreus x griseus). Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden intro.

2/12/12 'Dark Star' Ceanothus next to the driveway and propane tank. KABOOM! Just kidding...Ceanothus are nowhere near as flammable as, say, greasewood (and, it's at the prescribed 10' distance from the tank).

2/12/12 Hairy Leaf Ceanothus (Ceanothus oliganthus oliganthus) next to Deer Grass (Muhlenbergia rigens). Here we go again. What an ugly common name. Whyfore? Not hairy at all, as far as I can tell. Las Pilitas nursery's website has some pretty funny commentary on a few of the ridiculously unflattering common names of Ceanothus http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/ceanothus-oliganthus-oliganthus. 

2/12/12 'Joyce Coulter' Ceanothus. 

2/12/12 'Snow Flurry' Ceanothus (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus). Tons and tons of flower buds on the verge of blooming but not quite yet there. You get the picture.

Several other ceanothus (ceanothuses, ceanothi?) are just starting to bud (Blue Jeans, Skylark, Wheeler Canyon, Mountain Haze and Frosty Blue). I'll be adding pics of their blooms (when they're actually in bloom) later on to this post. And, last but not least, here a few other natives that are defying our winter drought:

2/7/12 California Peony (Paeonia californica). Native to our site.

2/7/12 California Peony (Paeonia californica).

2/7/12 White Chaparral Currant (Ribes indecorum).

2/7/12 'Howard McMinn' Manzanita (Arctostaphylos densiflora). One of the most adaptable and dependable of manzanitas in the gardenscape. They seem to do fine with some irrigation, but are also quite drought tolerant. This one's growing on a slope next to our citrus grove away from the drip lines. 

2/7/12 'Anacapa Pink' Island Morning Glory (Calystegia macrostegia).

2/7/12 San Diego Sunflower (Viguiera laciniata).

2/7/12 'Mrs. Beard' Creeping Sage (Salvia sonomensis). Hybrid selection of S. mellifera and S. sonomensis


2/12/12 Western Monkshood (Aconitum columbianum) that I had given up for dead last year, resprouting after some extra irrigation in one of the planter beds. YES!!!! Keeping my fingers crossed that these montane beauties will take to our warmer, lower elevation climes here in Murrieta.

24 comments:

  1. the shot of the pink Morning Glory is wonderful!!!

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    1. Thanks much! The blooms of Island Morning Glory are actually quite fetching, with their light mauve petals and soft white centers. Pretty in pink!

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    2. All these shots of Ceanothus are wonderful. Maybe they can live in my Sicily.

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    3. Maybe I will share this post on Facebook and Networked Blogs.

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  2. Amazing! I've never seen that peony before. And I can't believe how many things are blooming for you. I'm expecting the ceanothus in April some time - some manzanita right now, great fun.

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    1. Thanks, Town Mouse! These peonies are native to the Central Coast and Southern California. Up in Northern California, you'll find Brown's Peony (Paeonia californica), which actually looks quite similar in form, but has a slightly more muted flower color.

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  3. Is this your yard or are you at a botanical garden? I've actually seen California Peony in the wild. Very surprised.

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    1. Thanks, PA - it's actually my yard. Hmmm...a botanical garden? Now that's a thought! (one can only dream). The peonies are actually growing in a native stand of coastal chaparral on our property, along with California Buckwheat, Black Sage, Chamise, Hoary-leaved Ceanothus, , Bush Monkeyflower, Bush Snapdragon, and Mission Manzanitas.

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  4. Wow, I can't believe how much your ceanothus are blooming already. They're just getting started here in Monterey. I love, love your garden signs; you're better than most botanical gardens!

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    1. Katie, I can't believe the ceanothus are blooming already, either! I'm sure our weird weather has something to do with it. And I love my signs, too - it's just great to have some really permanent garden markers that don't get weathered or washed away.

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    1. The peony blooms are indeed quite uniquely beautiful, Sharon!

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  6. Now I know what my Dark Star will look like when it grows up to be a big boy.

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    1. Karin, your Dark Star will be a stand out stud in the garden.

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  7. Arleen, as I scroll through your very beautiful photos, I come to believe that ceanothus is really a lovely plant in structure and design. The decadence of the ridged leaves and the puffy blooms is so striking. When I saw my Dark Star bloom last year, I thought it the most gaudy color combination, nearly looking like luscious berries. Your post makes me so eager for spring!

    Oh, my that California peony is fabulous,...how do you get those, I wonder... ?

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    1. Sue, I've come to appreciate ceanothus in the landscape more and more with each passing year. If you plant several varieties in your garden, the bloom season will go on for weeks and weeks (e.g., Dark Star & Julia Phelps has peaked here, but the Mountain Haze and Wheeler Canyon are just starting to bloom). California Peonies are native from SoCal up to the Central Coast - we're very fortunate to have them on our site. Except for Las Pilitas up in Santa Margarita, I've never seen any other native plant nursery carry them. The blooms are not showy from a distance, but up close, they really pop!

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  8. Wow that's a stunning collection of plants! I was out in the local landscape a fair out in January/early Feb, and the tomentosus plants (tomentosii?, echoing your plural conundrum) were gangbusters. Like you, I wasn't expecting it after our relatively dry season. Winter is winter, I guess, as far as the plants are concerned. Enjoy!

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    1. Thanks, James! I'm not sure what's going on with the bloom boom going on around here despite the meager rains we've had (even our fruit trees, especially the citrus, are going to town). Not that I'm complaining...:)

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  9. Arleen

    You are aware of where Tree of Life Nursery is. Go there and purchase a speciman plant : Ceanothus ‘Concha’

    I had two of these in Anza and they performed beautifully. The flower coverage is so strikingly complete all around the plant with those 'cobalt blue' flowers that hardly a single leaf can be seen. People use to stop and ask me what they were. There was really no maintenace what so ever. At most I had to trim it away from the rock steps leading to the garden below.


    Here is what Tree of Life says about them from their website:

    Ceanothus ‘Concha’ is a mounding, fast growing evergreen shrub that
    reaches 6 feet tall by 6 feet wide in 3 to 4 years. This is a hybrid that
    performs best in full sun and well-drained soil with water once or twice a
    month. Dense, arching form makes it a good slope cover, medium screen
    or barrier, or try it as a specimen in a large-scale mixed shrub planting (see list
    at left). Cobalt blue flowers and rich green foliage make this one of
    the most outstanding Ceanothus cultivars available. For a gorgeous
    spring color show, set it against a backdrop of yellow-flowering Fremontia
    ‘Cal Glory’ and scatter orange-flowering California Poppies in front.

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    1. Kevin, I agree with you regarding the striking visage of a Concha in full bloom. I actually have a small one that only just started putting forth some flowers this year. I do plan on getting a few more to plant along a slope off our driveway - a good excuse for a trip to Tree of Life!

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  10. Your flower bushes are lovely! It is also good to see that many of your readers share their take on Ceanothus which is a very great way of interaction. Thank you for sharing your love for plants with us.

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    1. Thanks much! The gardening community and plant lovers in general are a great bunch and I really appreciate their input, enthusiasm, and wisdom.

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  11. An odd ornamental Ceanothus has popped up in my local "weed field" and I wondered if you could help work it out. I think it is C. papillosus x impressus, but my familiarity with the hybrids is minimal.

    http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/2799361

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    1. Hi there - sorry I didn't see your comment/question until now. I looked at the photos and it's a tough call. If I were to venture a best guess, it might be 'Dark Star' (C. papillosus v. roweanus) or 'Joyce Coulter' (C. papillosus v. roweanus x thyrsiflorus v. griseus). Both have a sprawling habit, but Dark Star has deeper blue flowers than Joyce Coulter. I will post this same reply to you on inaturalist.org

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