Ceanothus (Concha): One of the most popular, adaptable and hardiest evergreen ceanothus hybrids. It reaches five to 10 feet high, and flowers appear in the late spring.
There are also more cultivars and hybrids of Ceanothus arboreus, Ceanothus griseus horizontalis (groundcovers), and Ceanothus thyrsiflorus in the nursery trade.
Ceanothus, commonly known as California Lilac, offers almost everything a gardener could wish for in a shrub: free flowering, lovely foliage, ease of cultivation, drought, and salt tolerance.
Ceanothus are perennial woody shrubs, small trees, or ground cover plants grown both for the foliage and blossoms. Most species are evergreen, though some are deciduous. The plants produce dense clusters of small flowers in shades of white, cream, gray, or various hues of blue and purple.
Find out how to grow ceanothus, including choosing, watering, pruning, training and propagating.
Growing Ceanothus, commonly known as California Lilac, adds vibrant colors and delightful scents to any garden. These evergreen shrubs are renowned for their clusters of blue flowers and can be an excellent choice for gardeners seeking drought-resistant plants.
Ceanothus wild lilac for blue flowers that attract bees, and evergreen leaves, for spring planting in containers and gardens in Portland, Vancouver, Lake Oswego.
California Lilacs, or Ceanothus, are some of our most fragrant and colorful shrubs here in California. They are also evergreen and very drought tolerant. The myth of Ceanothus being short-lived is primarily spread by incompetent gardeners that insist on drip irrigation, summer water and soil amendments.
Most, if not all, ceanothus have the ability to fix large amounts of nitrogen via symbiotic association with root-inhabiting microbes (actinomycetes). See the Sunset Western Garden Book for brief descriptions on some 30 Ceanothus species and selections.